(Excerpt)
(Friday, October 9, 2026, 9:36 am to 9:45 am)
[Opening remarks:]
- Minister)
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I have four very important opening remarks today. ...
Third, there has recently been a series of cyber incidents involving the leakage of customer information, including images of identity verification documents, as a result of unauthorized access across various industries. In light of this situation, senior management at financial institutions and other relevant entities must exercise leadership in implementing cybersecurity measures and appropriately conduct identity verification when customers apply for financial services, including, for example, by reading information stored in IC chips, which is highly effective in preventing fraud, so as not to cause concern among users. To this end, today the Financial Services Agency (FSA) will issue a notice to financial institutions and other relevant entities, requesting them to promptly review their current measures and take any necessary action.
Fourth, I would like to speak about the Kumamoto Earthquake Reconstruction Support Fund. The governor has met with me on a number of occasions regarding this matter. To address multiple-debt problems and support the recovery of businesses affected by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake, the Regional Economy Vitalization Corporation of Japan (REVIC), together with local financial institutions, has decided to establish the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake Reconstruction Support Fund, with a total size of up to 5 billion yen. The FSA will continue to encourage regional financial institutions, in cooperation with REVIC and other relevant parties, to make every effort to ensure that disaster-affected businesses can secure financing and address their existing debt obligations, including through the use of the Fund. When I visited the affected area on August 7, financial institutions and business organizations told me at a meeting held by the Regional Finance Bureau that they had long been calling for such measures.
