Japan is scrambling to shore up its cybersecurity capabilities through new legislation, international partnerships and training schemes – moves observers say are long overdue as threats from hostile states and criminal groups escalate.
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In the latest push, Defence Minister Gen Nakatani met his Lithuanian counterpart Dovile Sakaliene in Tokyo on Wednesday and agreed to deepen cooperation in cybersecurity.
A Japanese defence ministry expert will be dispatched to Lithuania in June to learn from the Baltic nation’s cybersecurity specialists, who are widely regarded as among the best in the world for their experience countering persistent Russian digital threats.
The agreement comes after Tokyo announced earlier this month that it intended to increase specialist cybersecurity technicians from 24,000 people at present to at least 50,000 individuals by 2030. The government’s plan comes after a panel of the industry ministry indicated that the nation requires a force of about 110,000 skilled cybersecurity experts.
Demand is expected to continue to grow as new regulations mean that from 2026, the government will inspect private companies’ cybersecurity measures and potentially withhold state subsidies from firms that do not meet the required standards.
On May 16, the Diet passed legislation that introduces the concept of an active cyberdefence, permitting the government to gather communications data to defend against digital attacks. The new law allows authorities to monitor the internet, collect and analyse communication information, and target servers that are launching cyberattacks. The law is applicable even if the nation is not at war.