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Minister in Charge of Japan's Cybersecurity Says He Has Never Used a Computer (nytimes.com)
Futurepower(R) shares a report: A lot of people don't use computers. Most of them aren't in charge of a nation's cybersecurity. But one is. Japanese lawmakers were aghast on Wednesday when Yoshitaka Sakurada, 68, the minister who heads the government's cybersecurity office, said during questioning in Parliament that he had no need for the devices, and appeared confused when asked basic technology questions. "I have been independently running my own business since I was 25 years old," he said. When computer use is necessary, he said, "I order my employees or secretaries" to do it. [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source.] "I don't type on a computer," he added.
Asked by a lawmaker if nuclear power plants allowed the use of USB drives, a common technology widely considered to be a security risk, Mr. Sakurada did not seem to understand what they were. "I don't know details well," he said. "So how about having an expert answer your question if necessary, how's that?" The comments were immediately criticized. "I can't believe that a person who never used a computer is in charge of cybersecurity measures," said Masato Imai, an opposition lawmaker.
Asked by a lawmaker if nuclear power plants allowed the use of USB drives, a common technology widely considered to be a security risk, Mr. Sakurada did not seem to understand what they were. "I don't know details well," he said. "So how about having an expert answer your question if necessary, how's that?" The comments were immediately criticized. "I can't believe that a person who never used a computer is in charge of cybersecurity measures," said Masato Imai, an opposition lawmaker.
I could argue that the US president knows a similar amount about politics or diplomatics, but then I guess that honor could be extended to most in his administration.
See guys, now that it happens in another country is when you see it is a weird thing.
If an experiment works, something has gone wrong.
He knows how to do business things. Sit at desks. Make calls. Write reports. Attend board meetings. Shake hands. Carry briefcases. All the business skills you need for general businessing.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
This is much better than having someone who thinks he is a cybersecurity expert after blacklisting a website on his home router. That guy would not think it's safe to plug in a random USB stick in a nuclear power plant terminal because "of course the plant has a firewall".
He at least KNOWS that he has to ask experts for technical questions. It's the half-knowledge that's most dangerous.
bickerdyke
Most science ministers lack a science degree and there have certainly been some decidedly uneducated education ministers. Defence ministers have rarely served in the armed forces and we once had a Chancellor of the Exchequer who could not balance his credit card. Sadly, in a democracy, the only qualification for the job that counts is that you got more votes than anyone else and all this requires is that you look like less of a drooling idiot than the other people standing for election...and sometimes even that isn't true.
Sounds like he is 100% perfect at cybersecurity. No devices, no compromises. :)
He doesn't even understand the purpose of the organization he is running, you can replace him with a monkey and get the same results.
I have my own experience about it. Unfortunately i can't tell you the details, but i can just say, the japs in this case are completely incapable to understand and follow a very simple protocol despite many different engineers and executives explaining it over >5 meetings. God damn, it pisses me off.
I have a Japanese hybrid car, a Toyota. The engine, drivetrain and structural engineering are awesome. The user interface for all the electronics is the most gawdawful inane junk I have ever seen on a motor vehicle. Nothing makes any sense or is the least bit intuitive. It's clear their brains do not work the same way as ours.
The GPS can't find half of the addresses that have existed for 50 years unless it matches one 2000 miles away. I updated the maps to fix that problem without any success. My $1,000 navigation system is not even in the same league as the $100 TomTom I bought ten years ago. Turning off the engine when you forget to put the transmission in park (I used to drive a stick) causes the car to lose it's damn mind. You have to restart it, place the lever in park and THEN turn it off again. If you are in a hurry and accidentally open the driver's door while pushing the off button, the steering wheel refuses to lock and the car incessantly beeps angrily at you even after you get out and close the door. You have to either climb back in, close the door and restart the car and turn it back off again or else press the door lock button on the fob to make it shut up. To start it you have to press the brake, then a green (Why green?) LED lights up on the start button. Then when you press that start button, the green LED turns off giving you no indication that the car is on. (It's a hybrid so the engine does not immediately fire up) There is absolutely nothing to indicate if the car is actually on or instead accidentally turned off since the lights and dash do not go dark for some time after the car is turned off. Who in their right mind would design a car so that the green LED on the on/off button would turn off when the car turns on?
It's so bad, Microsoft could have designed it.
I have a Toyota Prius, their flagship Hybrid and I call your BS. My son had a 2005 with no issue either. The GPS is indeed junk. You can turn off the car without putting it in Park and it does that automatically. I have never seen that green power LED issue. on any of the 3 Prii I have experienced. The Speedometer goes dark immediately when turned off, in my experience.
Mine is a 2008 Camry Hybrid and it is no BS. I have demonstrated to many people how awful the design is just because I could not believe how stupid it was. My speedo stays lit for some time after turning it off. The headlights stay lit too. I have gone inside the house all the way wondering if I forgot to turn the damn thing off because I see the lights are still on through the windows. I hit the lock on the keyfob and off go the lights. If it turn it off in park, the steering wheel locks. If it is out of park when it is turned off, the steering wheel is loose and the dash will never go dark... ever. Until you restart it, seat the gearshift lever and turn it back off again. The previous owner told me she left it on all night in the garage one time because she thought it was turned off when it wasn't.
One friend has an Equinox and when it is off but the brake is applied the start button LED glows red. Once started, it goes green and stays on until it is turned back off again. NOW THAT MAKES SENSE.