Initial Disclosure Date: Dec 17, 2013

In December 2013, the National Police Agency (NPA) released a warning to Windows XP users as Microsoft stops providing its extended support on April 9, 2014 and there are higher risks of malware infection and hacking. The NPA says it is better not to connect Windows XP to the Internet or thumb drives if any organization or individual needs to use it after next April. ^(footnote:1)

Unfortunately, Japanese organizations have been slow to replace Windows XP with new OS. According to a survey done by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) on November 22, 2013, Japanese local governments are unlikely to replace about 13.1 percent of Windows XP that they currently use. It amounts to 266,231 PCs in Japan. The MIC distributed a letter to the local governments to request them to stop using those PCs until they finish upgrading OS on the same day. ^(footnote:2) Furthermore, the Information Security Promotion Council revealed at a meeting on December 12 that 20 ministries or agencies still use approximately 250,000 Windows XP computers as of November 1st and six ministries or agencies would not be able to upgrade approximately 5,000 PCs by the end of the support. ^(footnote:3)

Here are two more warnings released by Microsoft and the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA):

• Microsoft, “Windows XP, Office 2003 supoto shuryo no juyo na oshirase [Important notification about the end of our extended support to Windows XP and Office 2003],
  https://www.microsoft.com/ja-jp/windows/lifecycle/xp_eos.aspx
• lPA, “’Windows XP no sapoto shuryo’ ni tsuite [Extended support to Windows XP will be over soon],” June 11, 2013,
  http://www.ipa.go.jp/security/announce/winxp_eos.html

Sources:

1. National Police Agency, “Heisei 26 nen 4 gatsu no sapoto shuryogo ni Windows XP wo shiyo suru koto no kikensei [Warning to continue to use Windows XP after the end of the support in April 2014],” December 2013,
   http://www.npa.go.jp/cyber/kanminboard/siryou/report_xp.pdf
2. Jiji, “26 man-dai ga koshin dekizu = XP tosai jichitai pasokon  Somu-sho [The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications found out that local governments cannot upgrade 260,000 Windows XP before the end of the support],” November 22, 2013, 年11月22日付時事通信「26万台が更新できず＝XP搭載自治体パソコン―総務省」
   http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201311/2013112200301
3. National Information Security Center, “Shiryo 1: Windows XP, hukugoki no shiyo taisaku jokyo ni kansuru zenhushocho heno chosa kekka nit suite [Handout 1: the result of a survey regarding how all the ministries and agencies use and plan to upgrade Windows XP],” December 12, 2013,
   http://www.nisc.go.jp/conference/suishin/ciso/dai14/pdf/1.pdf , 1