Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a meeting of the experts’ panel on cybersecurity on June 7. (Takeshi Iwashita)

The minister for digital transformation asked experts to compile a report on active cyberdefense measures within months for related legislation to be submitted to the Diet as early as autumn.

Taro Kono addressed the inaugural meeting on June 7 of the panel of 17 experts assembled to advise the government on the introduction of a cyberdefense to prevent cyberattacks on key infrastructure. 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also attended the meeting.

“Improving our country’s cyber-response capabilities is an increasingly urgent task,” he said.

The experts were asked to discuss three priority issues: enhancing information sharing between the public and private sectors and support for the private sector; detecting cyberattacks; and conferring necessary authority to the government.

“We want to receive a report on the results of your discussions within months and compile bills,” Kono said.

Active cyberdefense entails regularly monitoring cyberspace to detect suspicious activities and pre-emptively striking perpetrators’ computer servers, if necessary.

Concerns have been raised that the government may spy on private emails and other forms of personal communication.

The government plans to find ways to ensure consistency with Article 21 of the Constitution, which says “the secrecy of any means of communication” shall not be violated, based on the panel’s discussions.

The panel members, including university professors, lawyers and executives of media outlets, selected Kenichiro Sasae, a former vice foreign minister, as chairman on June 7.

The government included plans to introduce active cyberdefense into the National Security Strategy when it was revised in 2022.

“To ensure the secure and stable use of cyberspace, particularly the security of the nation and critical infrastructure, the response capabilities in the field of cybersecurity should be strengthened equal to or surpassing the level of leading Western nations,” the document said.

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