East Japan Railway Co. said Friday it was temporarily hit by system disruptions with its Mobile Suica app and "Eki-net" online reservation system, with unusual traffic patterns pointing to a cyberattack.

The operator, known as JR East, said the issue was largely resolved more than four hours later, at around 10 p.m. Train operations were not affected.

According to the railway company, users began experiencing difficulties accessing services on the Mobile Suica app and Eki-net from around 5:30 p.m.

While topping up through the app was temporarily unavailable, the mobile version of the public transport card could still be used if there was a remaining balance. Funds could also be added at terminals using cash.

==Kyodo

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