Times Car breach class-action sign-ups top 10,000, NHK reports
In short
More than 10,000 people have registered with a lawyer-led website seeking a class action over the Times Car car-sharing data breach, NHK reported on Oct. 2, after the lawyer said registrations stood at just under 3,000 a day earlier. Operator Times Mobility said on Sept. 28 that unauthorised access leaked information on about 6.6 million accounts, about 1.6 million of which included driver's licence images. The lawyer says no decision has been made on filing suit, and Park24 shares briefly fell to a four-month low.
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More than 10,000 people had registered with a lawyer-led website seeking a class action over the Times Car data breach as of Oct. 2, NHK reported. ITmedia reported that the lawyer behind the effort, Hiroki Makino of Makino Law Office in Tokyo's Minato ward, said registrations stood at just under 3,000 as of Oct. 1, and that a report that day said more than 2,000 people had signalled an intent to take part. ITmedia reported that registering is only an expression of intent, with a formal retainer concluded later once participants return documents. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The breach was disclosed by operator Times Mobility, based in Tokyo's Shinagawa ward, on Sept. 28, when the company said unauthorised access to its website had leaked member information for about 6.6 million accounts, including people who had already cancelled. On Sept. 29 it emerged that about 1.6 million of those records included identity documents such as images of driver's licences. [ 1 , 3 ]
Makino announced the recruitment site on X on Sept. 30, and ITmedia reported related posts had been viewed more than 3 million times. He said the scale of the leak, including the licence images, meant the case was not one that could be settled with an apology, and that individual claims would be too small to pursue separately. He chose individual filings rather than the consumer organisation litigation system, which he said did not fit the claims. He set no target number of participants and said the decision on going to court would come after examining how the company manages information; whether to negotiate with Park24 before filing was undecided. [ 1 ]
Damages per person were still under study, Makino said, adding that the highly sensitive nature of licence numbers and identity documents would raise amounts, and that losses beyond consolation money or later claims over identity theft were possible. Fees were also under review and would not be charged if no suit were filed, he said. Makino said he built the site himself in about a day, drawing on experience from a class-action scheme over Timee cancellations, and added cross-links to his firm's official site and his lawyer registration number after users raised concerns about a fake or AI-generated site. [ 1 ]
ITmedia reported that Park24 shares temporarily fell to a four-month low, with selling seen after the Oct. 1 report on participation in the class action. [ 2 ]
The documents do not say who was behind the unauthorised access, and no total value for any claim has been given. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The leaked records include identity documents for about 1.6 million accounts, which the lawyer says is a major factor in the size of any damages and a source of anxiety for those affected. The recruitment drive is an early test of mass litigation over a data breach in Japan, and ITmedia reported the case has already weighed on Park24's share price.
Key facts
- Times Mobility said on Sept. 28 that unauthorised access to the Times Car website leaked member information for about 6.6 million accounts, including people who had already cancelled. [ 1 ]
- About 1.6 million of those records included identity documents such as driver's licence images, which emerged on Sept. 29. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Lawyer Hiroki Makino of Makino Law Office announced a class-action recruitment site on X on Sept. 30; ITmedia reported related posts were viewed more than 3 million times. [ 1 ]
- Registrations stood at just under 3,000 as of Oct. 1, according to the lawyer, while NHK reported on Oct. 2 that the number had passed 10,000. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Park24 shares temporarily fell to a four-month low, with selling seen after the report on class-action participation, ITmedia reported. [ 2 ]
- The lawyer said no decision has been made on filing suit, the number of plaintiffs, damages per person or the fee structure. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The size and precise status of the recruitment drive: ITmedia quoted the lawyer as saying registrations were just under 3,000 as of Oct. 1 and that signing up is only an expression of intent, while NHK reported more than 10,000 registrations on Oct. 2. The figures come from different dates and the two outlets do not define registration in the same way; ITmedia says a retainer is only concluded once participants submit documents.
- Whether a lawsuit will be filed, when, with how many plaintiffs, and what damages or fees will be sought. The lawyer said these points are undecided and depend on an assessment of the company's information management.
- Who carried out the unauthorised access. None of the documents states who was responsible.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Times Mobility announces that unauthorised access leaked member information for about 6.6 million Times Car accounts, including withdrawn members. [ 1 ]
- It emerges that about 1.6 million of the records included identity documents such as driver's licence images. [ 1 ]
- Lawyer Hiroki Makino announces the class-action recruitment site on X. [ 1 ]
- The lawyer says registrations have reached just under 3,000; a report says more than 2,000 people have signalled an intent to take part. [ 1 , 2 ]
- ITmedia reports Park24 shares temporarily fell to a four-month low after the class-action report. [ 2 ]
- NHK reports that registrations on the recruitment site have exceeded 10,000. [ 3 ]