Cosmic rays causing 30,000 network malfunctions in Japan each year

Most so-called "soft errors," or temporary malfunctions, in the network hardware of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. are automatically corrected via safety devices, but experts said in some cases they may have led to disruptions.

There is a chance that "greater issues" will arise as society's infrastructure becomes "more reliant on electronic devices" that use such technologies as artificial intelligence and automated driving, Hashimoto said.