RIEKO MIKI
TOKYO -- The Japanese government plans to build an information network spanning the Indo-Pacific region to counter cyberattacks from such places as Russia and China, with a focus on providing support to Pacific island countries that have weak countermeasures, Nikkei has learned.
Signs of attacks and their methods would be shared on the network. Japan envisions being a bridge between the U.S., Australia, and other advanced regional countries on one side and emerging and developing countries on the other.
The Foreign Ministry has earmarked strengthening cyber capabilities overseas in the fiscal 2024 draft budget that will be presented this summer. The Indo-Pacific region, where China is building up its military presence, is positioned as a priority region. Southeast Asia and Pacific island nations will be supported through development assistance and other means.
In addition to equipment installation, Japan aims to build know-how through joint training sessions. Tokyo will also contribute to a World Bank fund for human resources.
Cyberspace is often referred to as the fifth battleground, and attacks are becoming more complex and diverse. There are rising cases of hybrid warfare, in which infrastructure like power plants are hit with cyberattacks and missiles, as Russia is doing in Ukraine.
There is a belief in Tokyo that Russia, China and North Korea are launching cyberattacks against government agencies and other organizations. China is suspected of an attack that targeted 200 organizations in Japan, including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, that was revealed in April 2021.
There have also been U.S. media reports that Chinese military hackers gained access to Japanese defense secrets. Consequently, countermeasures are seen as an urgent issue.
Japan revised its National Security Strategy guidelines at the end of last year, saying it will deepen cooperation with "friendly" and "like-minded countries" that share diplomatic and security objectives, in addition to Washington, its main ally.
The Indo-Pacific region is of growing security importance for Japan in regards to China. In particular, the U.S. and China are competing to expand influence over developing Pacific island countries by offering investment and financial assistance.
China signed a security agreement with Solomon Islands last year and is encouraging other countries to sign similar agreements. To prevent the strategically important region from being dominated by China, Japan plans to offer support and cooperation for building infrastructure such as cyber countermeasures.
Japan is already expanding cyber capabilities within the Quad framework, which also includes the U.S., Australia and India as members, and with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Incorporating Pacific island nations is seen as a way to strengthen the information sharing system.
It will also look at extending the so-called joint principles of cyberdefense in the Quad to other areas of the Indo-Pacific where the approach can be shared.
Japan has begun considering legislation that will allow it to engage in an active cyberdefense that would access an opponent's systems to prevent cyberattacks in advance. It expects that strengthening cooperation in Indo-Pacific will broaden the range of coping strategies.
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