Fake data may activate Japan's emergency alert: expert

TOKYO - Japan's nationwide emergency alert system lacks the capability to encrypt data transmitted via satellites and verify the source, making it vulnerable to fake data that could activate the warning system, an expert said Sunday.

A source at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications admitted the flaw in the government's satellite-based J-Alert system, which issues early warnings to municipalities nationwide about natural disasters, including earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as overseas missile launches.