Blackpanda Japan Announces Strategic Partnership with SoftBank to Strengthen Cyber Incident Response in Japan 

SINGAPORE, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BLACKPANDA JAPAN K.K. (Representative Director: Masaki Hiraoka; hereinafter “Blackpanda”) today announces the launch of a strategic partnership with SoftBank Corp (hereinafter “SoftBank”).

Through this collaboration, SoftBank will provide incident response services against cyber attacks, including Blackpanda’s IR-1 solution, which helps companies across Japan prepare for, respond to, and recover from cyber attacks. The partnership is designed to support Japanese companies facing cyber threats by enhancing their ability to respond quickly and effectively when incidents occur.

WATCH VIDEO: WHAT IS BLACKPANDA IR-1?

Background of the Partnership

Cyber incidents such as ransomware attacks are no longer isolated to individual organisations. They often impact entire supply chains, creating serious management-level risks, including business suspension and halted transactions.

Despite this reality, many organisations still lack adequate incident response readiness after an attack. In some cases, compromised companies may unknowingly become a stepping stone for further attacks, amplifying damage across ecosystems.

As a result, cyber risk must be addressed not only as something to be prevented, but as a business challenge that assumes incidents will occur. Strengthening post-breach response capabilities has become an essential management priority.

Blackpanda’s “Cyber Fire Brigade”: A New Option for Incident Response

Blackpanda’s incident response service combines deep expertise and rapid deployment with an affordable annual subscription model. This approach makes professional incident response accessible to organisations that previously found such services out of reach.

Blackpanda responds to cyber incidents with the same urgency as firefighters responding to a blaze. When speed is critical, expert teams are rapidly dispatched to investigate, contain, and mitigate damage before it spreads.

WATCH VIDEO: WHAT IS BLACKPANDA IR-1?

Comment from SoftBank Corp. 

“We are delighted to strengthen emergency cyber incident support for a broad range of customers, from large and mid-sized enterprises to small and medium-sized businesses, through our partnership with Blackpanda.

In recent years, cyber attacks have increased regardless of company size, and rapid initial response is essential to minimising business impact. Guided by our corporate philosophy, ‘Information Revolution — Happiness for Everyone,’ SoftBank is committed to addressing societal challenges through technology. Through this collaboration, we aim to enhance customer resilience and contribute to a digital environment where businesses can operate with confidence.”

Hiroki Takezuna

Head of AI Platform Development Division, Enterprise Business

SoftBank Corp. 

Comment from Blackpanda CEO

“We are incredibly excited to partner with SoftBank. This collaboration continues to validate our belief that digital emergency response must be embedded at the infrastructure level, country by country. There are few partners better positioned to do this than national telecommunications providers that operate the internet itself.

With IR-1, our affordable assurance subscription, SoftBank customers gain immediate access to world-class, Level-3 digital forensics and incident response experts on standby—at a fraction of the cost of traditional retainer models. We’re grateful for SoftBank’s trust and look forward to scaling this nationwide together.”

Gene Yu

CEO & Founder

BLACKPANDA

Comment from Blackpanda Japan

“We are very pleased to collaborate with SoftBank Corp.

By combining SoftBank’s diverse and advanced security services with our expertise and technology, we believe we can deliver even more comprehensive and effective value to our customers. Leveraging SoftBank’s strong customer base and market reach, we aim to extend this initiative to a wider audience and help build a society where businesses can continue operating safely even in the face of cyber threats.

We look forward to unlocking new possibilities in security together by maximising the strengths of both organisations.”

Masaki Hiraoka  

Managing Director, North Asia

BLACKPANDA JAPAN K.K. 

For more insights on cyber resilience and incident response across Asia, visit the Blackpanda Knowledge Hub. To learn more about Blackpanda’s impact in the Asia market, view real-life cyber incident case studies. To learn about Blackpanda IR-1 in less than two minutes, watch the short video here.

About Blackpanda

Blackpanda is a Lloyd’s of London–accredited insurance coverholder and Asia’s leading local cyber incident response firm, delivering end-to-end digital emergency support across the region. We are pioneering the A2I (Assurance-to-Insurance) model in cybersecurity — uniting preparation, response, and insurance into a seamless pathway that minimises financial and operational impact from cyber attack. Through expert consulting services, response assurance subscriptions, and innovative cyber insurance, we help organisations get ready, respond, and recover from cyber attacks — all delivered by local specialists working in concert. Our mission is clear: to bring complete cyber peace of mind to every organisation in Asia, from the first moment of breach through full recovery and beyond.

CONTACT: Jade Koh, Director of Marketing, Blackpanda, jade.koh@blackpanda.com; Misaki Beckett, Marketing Analyst, Blackpanda Japan, misaki.beckett@blackpanda.com

“This is a company press release that is not part of editorial content. No journalist of The Hindu was involved in the publication of this release.”

Published – February 11, 2026 03:08 pm IST