Google inadvertently were responsible for internet slow down throughout Japan

Recently, Half of Japan lost internet access because of the error made by Google. What is the error which troubled Japan? Here is the report

It so happened that the mistake from Google’s end made it appear as if a large chunk of IP addresses were available for internet traffic to be routed through Google. However, those IP addresses actually belonged to Japanese internet service providers. The problem was noticed by Google and rectified in few minutes but its effects resulted in hours of slowed internet connections. This had a huge impact which required Japan's Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry interference for an investigation into the issue.

Connectivity was restored soon but the after effects seemed to be long lasting. This affected industries like finance, where online trading was halted, and transportation - East Japan Railway Co. riders weren't able to buy tickets or board trains.

A Google spokesperson said "We set wrong information for the network and, as a result, problems occurred. We modified the information to the correct one within eight minutes. We apologize for causing inconvenience and anxieties (among Internet users)."