Microsoft outage cuts Japanese workdays short; full recovery later reported

A Japanese news compilation shows frozen inboxes, disrupted public offices and workers heading home, while a subsequent bulletin reports services restored.

Channel: Nippon TV News ·

JapanStory of November 15, 2026Trari Newsroom

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【大規模障害】マイクロソフト365など完全復旧の見通し立たず　世界中でメール送受信など不具合　“サイバー攻撃の示唆なし” ──国際ニュースライブ（日テレNEWS LIVE）

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0:33Microsoft attributes the outage to unavailable servers overloading remaining infrastructure and says it found no evidence of a cyberattack.
2:11Kihara acknowledges government-system problems and outlines Prime Minister Takaichi's instructions to ministries.
3:48An airport traveler demonstrates Outlook freezing while loading on his laptop.
4:33Mie and Miyazaki prefectural offices switch to phone communications as email outages disrupt their work.
7:00Workers describe finishing early because tasks dependent on email cannot proceed.
8:09Microsoft reports improvements during recovery work; the broadcast cycle repeats at 08:54.

For one manufacturing sales employee in Japan, the Microsoft outage exposed just how much of her job depended on email: without it, she said, nothing could move forward. In Tokyo's Shinbashi district, another worker described getting home while it was still light.

Japan's NTV News (Nippon Television) brings those experiences together in a rolling report on the worldwide disruption to Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Teams and Copilot. The compilation was broadcast while full recovery remained uncertain. In its November 15 morning bulletin, the broadcaster subsequently reported that the major outage had been fully resolved.

The earlier footage shows what the interruption meant on the ground. At Osaka International Airport, an office worker demonstrates Outlook freezing as it loads on his laptop. A real estate worker in Tokyo explains that blocked communication can bring business to a halt, while an insurance agent describes difficulties reaching clients.

Public administration was affected too. Officials in Mie and Miyazaki prefectures turned to telephone calls as email became unavailable. A Mie official said the government could no longer exchange information promptly with residents; Miyazaki's Satoshi Hinaga described having to narrow down the information conveyed by phone.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara acknowledged problems with the government solution service used by ministries and outlined instructions from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. He said electronic medical records and major financial institutions had not experienced major disruption.

According to Microsoft's explanation relayed in the report, several servers unexpectedly became unavailable, placing excessive demand on the remaining infrastructure. The company said it had found no evidence of a cyberattack. The compilation's final update reports improvement, before the same news cycle begins again.

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