Japan will form a task force to confront cybersecurity threats to its financial system following worries tied to Anthropic's Mythos artificial intelligence model, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Friday.
The decision emerged from a meeting that brought together the Financial Services Agency, the Bank of Japan, the National Cybersecurity Office, the country's three largest banks and the Japan Exchange Group. Katayama told reporters the participants reached agreement on creating the group to coordinate defenses and responses.
"I told the meeting that this is a crisis that is already at hand, and similar concerns were also voiced by the financial industry," she said.
Concerns intensified after Anthropic disclosed that a preview of its Mythos model revealed "thousands" of major vulnerabilities affecting every major operating system and web browser. That disclosure has prompted alarm about whether traditional software protections can withstand an AI capable of surfacing previously unknown security flaws.
Cybersecurity experts cited at the meeting and in subsequent commentary have warned that the model may identify and exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities more quickly than firms can patch them. They say that capability could speed the tempo of cyberattacks in sectors such as banking, where infrastructure is often complex, interconnected and built on technology that can be decades old.
Regulators in other jurisdictions across Asia, Europe and the United States have also cautioned banks to reassess their defenses and readiness in light of the potential threat. Despite the heightened concern, there have been no reported breaches to date linked to the Mythos model.
Katayama emphasized the particular vulnerability of financial services to rapid contagion because of their interconnected, real-time operations. "Because of this, a cyberattack can immediately spill over into market disruptions and undermine confidence," she said.
The newly announced task force is intended to centralize coordination among regulators, market operators and major banks as they evaluate risk, monitor developments and shore up defenses. Details on the task force's structure, membership and specific responsibilities were not specified at the meeting, and authorities said further steps would be discussed as the situation evolves.
Context and next steps
Officials said the convening reflects a recognition that the financial system's structure and speed of operations require a rapid, collective response to emerging cyber threats. The task force is meant to provide that platform, enabling information-sharing and joint planning across the public and private sectors.