Possible data leak hits 8.6 million karaoke customers in Japan
Daiichi Kosho, owner of Big Echo, says malware at a contractor may have exposed names, emails and phone numbers; it does not confirm the data left the device.
On Oct. 8, 2026, Daiichi Kosho, the Japanese karaoke operator that owns Big Echo and Karaoke CLUB DAM, said on its website, in Japanese, that personal data may have leaked at Nippon Columbia Group (NCG), a company it subcontracts.
According to that text, malware infected the computer of an NCG employee, detected on Oct. 1 or 2; the device was cut off from the network on the 2nd and Daiichi Kosho was told on the 5th. The device held the data temporarily. The company says it has not confirmed that the data left that device or was misused, but that it cannot rule it out, and that its own systems were not affected.
| Brand or item | Records (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Big Echo | 5 558 000 |
| DK Dining | 3 462 000 |
| Karaoke CLUB DAM | 74 000 |
| Mega Big | 43 000 |
| Banana Club | 5 000 |
| B-GARAGE | 4 000 |
| Duplicates removed | 515 000 |
| Total customers | 8 631 000 |
| Employees | 93 000 |
With employees included, the total comes to about 8.72 million, the same figure given by Nippon.com, citing Jiji Press. The data at stake are name, sex, date of birth, email and phone number. Passwords are not among them, and the company has not detected misuse of loyalty points.
BleepingComputer says it found no public statement from NCG and that it asked for comment. Its dates for the isolation differ from those in the notice; this story follows the company's. Daiichi Kosho opened a hotline on Oct. 9. It advises being wary of suspicious emails, messages and calls, and says it never asks for passwords or card details.
The brands operate in Japan, so the direct effect on users in Mexico is nil. The interest lies in the pattern: the possible leak happened at the contractor and not at the operator. Daiichi Kosho promises to disclose promptly any new facts, including the number of customers affected.
