Japan plans to build an intelligence network overseas, targeting countries/regions/intelligence networks on the "fifth battlefield"
According to the report of Nihon Keizai Shimbun on August 13, the Japanese government will set up an intelligence network with relevant countries and regions in the Indo Pacific region to deal with cyber attacks. The relevant measures will start with building network defense capabilities for vulnerable Pacific island countries, and ultimately establish a system that can share information on attack symptoms and methods. Japan will build a bridge between the United States, Australia, and emerging and developing countries in the field of preventing cyber attacks.
According to reports, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs included funding for strengthening cyber defense overseas in its 2024 budget proposal submitted this summer. The Indo Pacific region is considered a key area, and Japan will use government development assistance to provide support to Southeast Asia and island countries.
In addition to introducing relevant equipment, joint exercises will also be held to share experiences with relevant countries. The Japanese government will contribute to the cultivation of relevant talents by injecting funds into the World Bank Trust Fund.
The cyberspace is known as the "fifth battlefield", with increasingly complex and diverse attack methods. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, cases of so-called "hybrid warfare" emerge in endlessly, including cyber attacks on power infrastructure.
According to reports, the Japanese government believes that countries such as Russia have been involved in cyber attacks against government agencies of various countries. Anti cyber attacks have become a topic of concern for countries around the world. The revised National Security Strategy at the end of 2022 proposes that, in addition to the United States, Japan will also deepen cooperation with "like-minded countries" and "friendly countries" that share common diplomatic and security demands.
Given that there will be more and more games surrounding high level intelligence, Japan will strengthen relevant measures to block vulnerabilities in cyber attacks.
The report claims that in order to confront China, the Indo Pacific region is very important in terms of security. Japan has begun to enhance its network response capabilities under the security dialogue mechanism between Japan, the United States, Australia, and India, as well as the framework established with ASEAN, building an intelligence network including Pacific island countries and strengthening the mechanism for sharing intelligence.
In the future, Japan also hopes to promote the "common principle" of network defense in the four party security dialogue to countries and regions in the Indo Pacific region that can share ideas.
The report points out that in order to introduce an "active network defense" mechanism to intervene in the opponent's system with the purpose of preventing problems before they occur after 2024, Japan is starting relevant legislative work. It is expected that by strengthening cooperation in the Indo Pacific region, the coverage of relevant measures will continue to expand.