Japan’s push for digitalization amid the COVID-19 pandemic brings with it an increased risk of cyberattacks.

Ahead of the Tokyo Games next year, new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is spearheading efforts to set up a government entity dubbed the Digital Agency as early as next year.

The move comes as a slew of thefts involving bank accounts linked to NTT Docomo's cashless payments service have been uncovered in recent weeks — highlighting the vulnerabilities of e-commerce — and amid a rise in cyberattacks on critical infrastructure around the world.