Defense & Security

Ministries, Agencies to Undergo Cybersecurity Checks; Government Seeks to Minimize Damage from Cyber-attacks

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Digital Transformation Minister Taro Kono attends a panel meeting related to cybersecurity in Tokyo on July 8.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:37 JST, July 20, 2024

The Japanese government will begin on Monday efforts to continuously check vulnerabilities in software used by government agencies, the National Center of Incident readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) said.

According to an announcement made by the NISC on Friday, the aim is to minimize damage from cyber-attacks by quickly notifying targeted agencies of vulnerabilities so they can take measures to fix them. The checks will be started incrementally, covering independent administrative agencies as well as government ministries and agencies.

The NISC will use a dedicated system to perform around-the-clock checks of emails and servers for places like physics and chemistry laboratories, as well as the computers of employees at government agencies, including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and RIKEN. If any vulnerabilities are found, each institution will take action by implementing corrective programs.

This endeavor is explained in the December 2022 revision of the National Security Strategy.

Digital Transformation Minister Taro Kono said at Friday’s news conference, “We want to further improve government agencies’ ability to defend against cyber-attacks.”