The man in charge of Japan’s cybersecurity posture just made a very frightening admission: He’s never used a computer. Yes, you read that right.
Yoshitaka Sakurada, the Japanese minister in charge of keeping the 2020 Tokyo Olympics safe from hacking, among other things, responded to the question with: “Since I was 25 years old and independent I have instructed my staff and secretaries. I have never used a computer in my life,” according to Kyodo News.
He was reportedly pressed further about this issue, which he seems to not think so important. “It’s a matter that should be dealt with by the government as a whole. I am confident that I am not at fault,” he said. Essentially, Sakurada is saying that even though he’s the government official in charge of understanding highly technical computer issues, he doesn’t actually need to know about computers because the government does, even though he is essentially the government’s proxy.
Kyodo News writes that Sakurada is new to the job–he was appointed cybersecurity minister only last month. So perhaps we should cut him some slack and let him grow into this role by, say, using a computer.
Maybe we can all recommend some programs for him to use to help him learn the ropes. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing was very helpful for me. We could also pool some money together and buy him The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Computer Basics. With these two resources alone, Sakurada may be able to learn how to thwart professional hackers who have spent years–if not decades–trying to break digital barriers.
At the very least, I hope someone teaches him how to check his email.
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