Masatoshi Kumagai, the head of GMO Internet Group, apologized on October 29 for posting smiling selfies while his company was dealing with unauthorized access to its services, but said he would keep the photos up for now to show he will not give in to threats.
In a post on X, Kumagai said critics had called the smiling photos "fukushin慎" — insensitive — given the circumstances. "The criticism is fair, and I lacked consideration for the feelings of the victims. I apologize sincerely," he wrote.
He said he would not delete the images. "Out of an intention to show the culprit that we will not bow to intimidation, I will keep the photos posted for the time being," he wrote, asking for understanding.
Tip money and a hacker team
Kumagai also reported that GMO Internet Group had received information through a bounty it set up to help wipe out cybercrime, and that its in-house white-hat hacker team had obtained "valuable information that could lead to identifying the culprit." He said the group would hand the information to police and other authorities during the day on October 29.
The apology followed two days of criticism over the selfies. In an October 27 post, Kumagai said the group had consulted Interpol — the International Criminal Police Organization — over the unauthorized access, and attached a photo of himself smiling at the camera with an arm outstretched, wearing a black jacket and white shirt, with the Interpol logo and other imagery behind him.
Social media users called the photo tone-deaf. "There's a limit to how insensitive you can be," one wrote, according to J-CAST News. Another called it "far too inappropriate."
On October 28, Kumagai replied to a post asking whether a lecture at the University of Tokyo scheduled for October 26 had gone ahead. "No, I gave the lecture properly as promised," he wrote, attaching another smiling selfie. That photo drew similar objections: "Why is he smiling...", "This is a far too insensitive photo and post at this timing," and "How can this person put a smiling selfie on social media...?"