Toei Animation announced in a press release on Monday, March 7, 2022, that its internal network was illegally accessed by a third party on Sunday. As a precaution, the company has shut down its online shop to block any access from outside and stopped a part of the website.

The intensity of the damage is under investigation by an external security company and they also warned related organizations about the hack.

Toei is looking into the matter to ensure if any personal information was stolen, as well as internal paperwork concerning current projects and ties with commercial partners.

Nikkei reported, the company has refused to reveal any details regarding the confirmation of unauthorized access and detailed measures.

“We cannot currently answer anything beyond what is stated in the released statement,” said Toei.

Previously in June 2021, Toei issued a statement warning the public of the existence of a fake website “Toei Animation UK”. The officials at Toei confirmed that it was a spoofing act using the e-mail address (@ toei.co.uk) and a domain name of the same to falsely strike creators on youtube.

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including Sally the Witch, GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018), Mazinger Z, Galaxy Express 999, Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, Sailor Moon, Slam Dunk, Digimon, One Piece, Toriko, The Transformers (between 1984–1990, including several Japanese exclusive productions) and the Precure series.

Source: Nikkei, Toei Press release