Gen, a global company with trusted brands such as Norton and Avast, has released its "2026 Q1 Threat Report Japan Edition" (January-March 2026). The report reveals an expansion of "social engineering attacks" in the Japanese market, which exploit human psychology and behavior, including phishing attacks, technical support scams, fake e-commerce sites, and SMS scams. Phishing attacks, in particular, doubled compared to the previous quarter, with over 10.68 million attacks blocked. Attacks targeting Japanese users were also confirmed, including technical support scams via manga and anime distribution sites, fake shopping sites impersonating Rakuten, and SMS scams targeting Android devices. Attackers used warning displays mimicking legitimate services like Rakuten and Amazon, pages with discounted products, and suspicious links across browsers, SMS, online shopping, and video/manga/anime distribution sites to trick users into entering credentials, clicking links, making phone calls, or entering payment information. Phishing Attacks Surge, Remaining a Major Threat to Consumers Phishing attacks continued to be the most frequently observed attack method targeting Japanese consumers. In phishing attacks, users are presented with login screens indistinguishable from those of trusted services and are redirected to slightly different domains, leading to the theft of credentials such as IDs and passwords. In Q1 2026, 10.68 million phishing attacks were blocked, protecting 2.23 million users. This is an approximate doubling from 5.56 million in the previous quarter. While 80% of attacks were observed in Windows environments, attacks targeting mobile environments are also increasing, with 1.24 million phishing attacks confirmed on iOS devices alone. Phishing attacks not only steal personal information but also often serve as an entry point for subsequent account takeovers and financial fraud, making them a threat that requires continued vigilance. Technical Support Scams Targeti