Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government is set to adopt a new cybersecurity strategy next month, which aims to implement necessary measures to combat foreign threats, including election interference.
According to Philippines News Agency, a draft of the strategy highlights an "increase in state-supported cyber threats" from countries such as China, Russia, and North Korea. The strategy calls for "defense and deterrence with the state at the core," in alignment with a newly enacted law that introduces active cyber defense measures.
The draft raises concerns over cyberattacks, even those backed by state actors, which are frequently carried out to disrupt critical infrastructure, meddle in elections of other nations, and steal sensitive data. It also points to the rise of generative artificial intelligence technology as a growing threat to public opinion manipulation and the spread of misinformation by foreign entities, warning that this could undermine the foundation of a healthy democracy.
The National Cybersecurity Office is slated to play a central role in enhancing the government's capabilities to gather and analyze information on damages incurred by businesses. While respecting the constitutional right to secrecy of communications, the draft proposes a system where police, the Defense Ministry, and the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) collaborate to neutralize attacks crucial to national security.
The strategy underscores the need to significantly boost the capabilities of the police, the Defense Ministry, and the SDF. By fiscal year 2026, the government plans to establish a unified standard for cybersecurity measures for operators of critical infrastructure, and it may consider broadening the scope of critical infrastructure protection.
Additional measures include increasing collaboration with allied and like-minded countries for information sharing and response enhancement. The strategy also emphasizes developing human resources to tackle domestic cybersecurity issues.
Since 2015, the Japanese government has devised a cybersecurity strategy approximately every three years. The new strategy outlines policy goals for the next five years, offering a longer-term perspective.
The draft strategy has been presented to political parties, and public comments have been solicited. It will be reviewed by an expert panel early next month before being submitted to a government task force led by the prime minister for cabinet approval.
