Hackers hit Japanese government systems

The Japanese Government has suffered a spate of cyberattacks on two of its Web sites this week, according to reports. A government representative told the Associated Press that key Web servers had stopped working after hackers flooded them with data, making it impossible for people to access the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Offices' Web sites.

Government IT staff saw three waves of attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, but no permanent damage was caused, Japanese officials said. Investigators are said to be unsure whether the source of the attacks is domestic or foreign. In 2004, a Japanese Web site for the controversial Yasukuni shrine was taken offline five times. following a string of denial-of-service attacks.

Dan Ilett of ZDNet UK reported from London.