The government approved an emergency package of cyber measures at a meeting of relevant ministers on Nov 6, after a series of breaches and unauthorized access incidents exposed gaps in corporate defenses. The package calls on companies to carry out basic safeguards and commits the government to strengthening the structures needed to deliver "proactive cyber defense" — pre-emptive action against attacks rather than response after the fact.
The measures attribute the string of unauthorized access cases to failures in basic protection, including system vulnerabilities and misconfigured websites. They warn that advances in AI mean such flaws can now be exploited "in a short time and at large scale."
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the meeting the government would "mobilize all its strength to raise the response capacity of the whole country" and instructed that relevant laws be amended.
Four pillars
The package rests on four pillars: thorough basic measures using AI; stronger information gathering and consolidation, along with investigation and analysis; strategic handling of cyberattacks; and stronger support for victims and steps to stop damage spreading.
On proactive cyber defense, the measures state that the operational units of the police and the Self-Defense Forces will be expanded. The source does not give figures for the increase or a timetable for the legal changes.