荻上チキ・Session～発信型ニュース・プロジェクト · News
2026年10月22日（木）ニュース
Two critical vulnerabilities have been found in PHP, the programming language powering roughly 70% of the world's websites, prompting Japanese government ministries and companies to suspend web services while similar closures spread to public institutions in Europe and the United States. Separately, Russian President Putin signaled readiness to resume trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and the U.S. in mid-November. The day's news also covered an attack on a Saudi airport, an internal scandal at the Kanagawa Prefectural Police involving improperly removed driver's licenses, and Japan's largest labor federation announcing a wage demand of 5% or more—centered on 6%—for the coming spring offensive.
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What this episode answers
How are Japanese and overseas organizations responding to the PHP vulnerability?
Japanese ministries and companies suspended some web services as a precaution against cyberattacks, and public institutions in Europe and the United States moved to close websites as well; the FBI urged organizations to report any signs of unauthorized access. PHP's security team released a patch and strongly called for immediate updating.
What is the latest on the resumption of Russia-Ukraine peace talks?
Putin met with U.S. special envoy Witkoff on the 21st and indicated readiness to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the U.S. in mid-November; Zelensky expressed support after being briefed, but the gap on territorial issues remains wide and meaningful progress is seen as highly unlikely.
What was the scale and nature of the attack on Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia?
One person was killed and eight were injured in the attack on Dammam International Airport; separately, two more died and two were injured from debris after air defense forces intercepted a drone targeting a state-owned oil facility. The source of neither attack was identified.
What is the driver's license scandal that came to light at the Kanagawa Prefectural Police?
A male constable in his 20s was found to have improperly removed 31 expired driver's licenses collected after renewals and used them in investigations, including collecting facial photographs of suspects; the practice may have been in place for about 30 years, and the National Police Agency launched a nationwide investigation on suspicion of violating the Personal Information Protection Act.
What wage increase level is Rengo demanding for next year's spring labor offensive, and what is the reasoning behind it?
Rengo announced a demand of 5% or more—centered on 6%—combining base pay raises and regular incremental increases, building on three consecutive years of 5%-plus outcomes and pushing for even higher raises; for small and medium-sized enterprises, where the wage gap with large firms persists, Rengo will seek the same 6% or more it demanded the previous year.
Critical PHP Vulnerabilities — Ministries and Companies Suspend Web Services
Two severe security flaws have been discovered in PHP, the programming language that underpins roughly 70% of websites worldwide, triggering a wave of precautionary service suspensions by Japanese government ministries and private companies seeking to guard against cyberattacks. The shutdown trend has spread to public institutions in Europe and the United States as well. The FBI has called on organizations to report any signs of unauthorized access.
PHP's security team announced the previous evening that "two extremely critical vulnerabilities have been found." A patch was released at 11 p.m. the same night, accompanied by an urgent call for all users to update immediately.
Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks — Trilateral Talks Expected to Resume in Mid-November
Russian President Putin met with U.S. special peace envoy Witkoff in Russia on the 21st and conveyed his readiness to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States in mid-November. Ukrainian President Zelensky, after being briefed by the American side on the substance of the meeting, said he supports the U.S.-proposed resumption of negotiations.
Nevertheless, the gap between Russia and Ukraine on territorial questions and other core issues remains wide, and substantive progress in peace negotiations is widely seen as an uphill battle.
Saudi Arabia's Dammam Airport Attacked — 3 Dead, 10 Injured in Total
Saudi Arabia's aviation authority announced on the 21st that the international airport in the eastern city of Dammam had come under attack. One person was killed and eight were injured. The Ministry of Energy additionally reported that air defense forces intercepted a drone targeting a facility belonging to the state-owned oil company, but falling debris from the interception killed two people and injured two more. The source of neither attack has been identified.
Kanagawa Police: 31 Licenses Illegally Removed — Practice May Date Back 30 Years
A male police constable in his 20s with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police was found to have improperly removed 31 expired driver's licenses that had been collected from holders during renewals and to have used them in investigations, including for gathering facial photographs of suspects. According to the National Police Agency (NPA), the licenses are believed to have been used to build collections of images of investigative targets. Interviews with other officers suggest the same practice may have been carried out for approximately 30 years.
The NPA determined that the conduct likely constitutes a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act and launched simultaneous investigations at police forces nationwide. Going forward, the agency has instructed that expired licenses should in principle be punched with a hole before being returned to their holders.
Rengo Announces 5%-Plus, "Centered on 6%" Wage Demand for Spring 2027 Offensive
Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation / 日本労働組合総連合会) announced on October 22 that it will demand wage increases of 5% or more—"centered on 6%"—combining base pay raises and regular incremental increases in next year's spring labor offensive (shunto). With three consecutive years of 5%-plus wage growth already achieved in the shunto, Rengo added the new benchmark of "centered on 6%" to signal its ambition to push even higher.
For small and medium-sized enterprises, where the wage gap with large corporations has yet to close, Rengo said it would seek the same 6%-plus increase it demanded the previous year.
Takeaways
- Two critical vulnerabilities found in PHP—the backbone of roughly 70% of global websites—prompted governments and companies in Japan, Europe, and the United States to suspend services and close sites, with a patch released and immediate updating urged.
- Russia-Ukraine trilateral peace talks are expected to resume in mid-November after Putin indicated readiness to Witkoff and Zelensky expressed support, but the wide gap on territorial issues makes substantive progress uncertain.
- Rengo set a "centered on 6%" wage demand for the 2027 spring offensive, aiming to exceed three consecutive years of 5%-plus increases, while maintaining a 6%-plus target for small and medium-sized enterprises.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.