Japan mulls expanding cyberdefense monitoring to domestic communication

To be able to better detect cyberattacks targeting Japan, the government and the ruling bloc are considering a law revision to allow communications to be monitored between entities within the country, according to ruling party officials.

Currently, the laws on active cyberdefense, designed to prevent major cyberattacks before they occur, only allow communications between foreign countries via Japan, or those between Japan and foreign countries, to be monitored. Ruling party members argue that this does not provide sufficient information to prevent attacks.

The government and the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling bloc began discussing the proposed revision on Monday, following the recent series of personal data breaches. On Friday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed members of a ministerial meeting on cybersecurity to consider revising the laws, alongside the creation of an emergency response package.

The government will “conduct discussions from the perspective of strengthening information-gathering capabilities,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference on Monday.

Japan’s active cyberdefense program is centered on monitoring communications, entering attackers’ systems and neutralizing threats, and strengthening public-private cooperation.

Specifically, the government will monitor communications in cyberspace from before attacks are executed. When signs of a potential attack are detected, the police and the Self-Defense Forces will hack into the attackers’ servers and neutralize threats.

Japan plans to begin monitoring communications by next autumn after provisions linked to the neutralizing operations and public-private collaboration entered into force last month.

“We must consider the law revision while taking the ruling bloc’s position into account,” a government official said.

Keitaro Ono, a senior member of the LDP’s cybersecurity panel, told a meeting of the group Monday that revising the laws would be “only natural given the current situation” and that the party would develop measures to ensure an effective response.

“There is room for debate over whether we can respond effectively while keeping communications within Japan a black box,” former digital transformation minister Masaaki Taira told reporters after the meeting.

Meanwhile, some have questioned whether monitoring communications is consistent with the constitutional guarantee of the secrecy of communication. The government and ruling bloc plan to have careful discussions, seeking opinions from experts.