The websites of multiple local governments in Japan have become inaccessible, with the cause unclear.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference Wednesday that the central government and others are gathering information to identify the cause of the problem.
The internal affairs ministry has asked prefectural governments to submit reports on the matter, the top government spokesperson said.
As of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, affected local governments included the city of Ebetsu in Hokkaido, the city of Shiojiri in Nagano Prefecture, the city of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the city of Dazaifu in Fukuoka Prefecture and the city of Tosu in Saga Prefecture. An error message appears when people try to access the websites of the municipalities.
In addition, the websites of Gunma Prefecture; Kumamoto Prefecture; the city of Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture; the city of Toda, Saitama Prefecture; and the city of Nagasaki temporarily became inaccessible.
The affected websites are believed to run on systems provided by a company based in Gifu Prefecture.
The company is investigating details of the problem, including its cause, an official said, adding that it remains to be seen when the problem will be resolved.
Some of the local governments have started to provide information to residents through social media platforms, such as X, according to Kihara.
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