While most Americans and Europeans simply wring their hands at the deadly threat posed by malevolent perpetrators of virus infection of software systems, a shocked Japan has been galavanised into taking immediate action following that case of misuse – the first reported in Japan – of NEC Corp’s PC-VAN (CI No 1,032): NEC itself has organised a project team to develop protection and vaccine programs against viruses, and the Ministry of International Trade & Industriy has ordered its extra departmental organisation, Information Technology Promotion Agency, Japan to put together a team of professionals to develop a vaccine program, earmarking a budget of $250,000 for the work next fiscal year.
