SoftBank and OpenAI launch AI cyber-patch service for Japan

SoftBank Group and OpenAI launched a new cybersecurity service in Tokyo on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, designed to protect Japan's critical infrastructure from increasingly sophisticated AI-powered attacks. The product, called "Patching as a Service," will be offered through SB OAI Japan, a 50-50 joint venture the two companies established last November.

The service targets approximately 3,000 companies operating Japan's airports, power grids, and transportation networks. SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son described Japan's vulnerability to cyberattacks as a crisis, comparing the current threat to facing machine guns after being prepared only for rifle shots. He framed the launch as a national duty, stating the goal is to create a system to defend critical Japanese infrastructure.

The product functions by first using AI models to diagnose vulnerabilities in a company's systems, then helps plan and advise on how to remediate those weaknesses. Officials clarified that the service does not automatically apply patches itself; human security teams remain responsible for prioritizing and executing the fixes. SoftBank Corp CEO Junichi Miyakawa said the team working on the rollout...