``We couldn't protect our customers.'' GMO President Kumagai expresses anger at attackers

"We sincerely apologize for not being able to protect our customers." GMO Internet Group Chairman and President Masatoshi Kumagai held a press conference in Tokyo on the 2nd and apologized for the delay in responding to security issues raised by group companies. In his first press conference since the discovery of the unauthorized access, he expressed his anger towards the attacker.

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President Kumagai, who appeared in a black suit at 3:30 p.m., began the press conference by apologizing for posting a photo of himself smiling in a social media post about the incident, and bowed deeply along with the executives who took the stage. Even after that, he occasionally struggled to explain his words, saying, ``I have continued to tell him to protect the information for our customers.''

The company has maintained a stance of not responding to demands for money from attackers, and on the 27th of last month, the personal information of one person was made public. President Kumagai reiterated, ``Their biggest goal is money. We will not do anything to encourage (the attackers).'' ``We cannot leave the industry while the Internet remains a tool for criminals,'' he said.