JPCERT/CC
Ms. Junko Hayakashi, a Board Member of JPCERT/CC, passed away on 27 December 2025.
On behalf of JPCERT/CC, I express deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy upon receiving this sad news.
In particular, at a time when many organizations had yet to recognize cyber incidents, she strongly advocated the importance of a structured and organizational approach to incident response and devoted herself to promoting the adoption of CSIRTs. Her extensive experience in leading incident response operations, together with her deep understanding of both legal frameworks and technology, made her a truly unique and irreplaceable presence in Japan’s cybersecurity. She was also one of the individuals who laid the foundation for today’s framework in which CSIRTs across organizations collaborate internationally to address vulnerabilities and cyber incidents. METI Minister's Award in 2015 and the Information Security Culture Award in 2012 that she received reflect the significance of her contributions.
She played an important role for Japan and was also a treasured presence for everyone at JPCERT/CC. Even after stepping down as an Executive Director in 2018 due to her health reasons, she watched over the JPCERT/CC’s activities an external board member with warmth and consistently offered thoughtful and timely advice. She encouraged our staff to uphold JPCERT/CC’s guiding principle of incident response based on neutrality and fairness, and encouraged active engagement with the board, external organizations, and international events and activities. As the Board Chairman, I will never forget the warm and thoughtful words she offered at a time when I had assumed the role of board member and was feeling uncertain. Those words, which helped connect me with the staff, together with her generous character and insights continue to live on in our hearts.
Building on Ms. Hayakashi’s remarkable achievements and enduring dedication to cybersecurity, we will remain committed to advancing Japan’s cybersecurity.
We are deeply grateful for her many contributions and extend our sincere condolences, with our thoughts in remembrance of her.
Hiroaki Kikuchi, Board Chairman
[Inquiries] Email: office@jpcert.or.jp
