Japan’s government has told ministries, local authorities and companies to step up their cyber defences. A wave of attacks has exposed the data of millions of customers. The National Cybersecurity Office sent the instructions on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

“The attacks are getting increasingly sophisticated,” Digital Transformation Minister Toshiharu Furukawa said this week.

The same day, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party held an emergency meeting of its cybersecurity strategy headquarters. Its head, Masaaki Taira, said Japan was in “a state of emergency in cyber space”, the Financial Times reported. More than 20 major Japanese companies have disclosed attacks in recent weeks, according to the FT.