Politics & Government

Security Clearance System Covering Cyber, Space Eyed

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo
A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017.

Jiji Press

18:00 JST, May 30, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The government plans to have a proposed security clearance system cover information on defenses against cyberattacks, as well as technical information linked to international joint development projects in the space and cyber fields, it was learned Monday.

The plan was included in an outline of the system presented at the day’s meeting of an expert panel.

In the outline, the government said that it aims to build an effective system that is trusted by partner countries, in the hope of promoting cooperation with the United States and other allies in developing cutting-edge technologies.

The security clearance system will be designed to certify handlers of confidential information related to economic security.

There are calls for establishing such a system, as the designated information protection law, put into effect in 2014, only covers information in four areas — defense, diplomacy, counterintelligence and counterterrorism — and mainly affects government employees.

Meanwhile, there are also concerns that such a system could raise privacy issues, as background checks would be conducted on potential certified information handlers. The outline notes that their consent should be a prerequisite for such checks.