Tapping Conversations between Japan, Abroad to Need Outside Approval, as Japan Aims for Active Cyber Defense

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:12 JST, November 24, 2024

The government has begun arranging a new system in which it will have to seek approval from a third-party entity before tapping communications between users in Japan and foreign countries, as part of the nation’s active cyber defense.

The government plans to analyze data from malicious sources if it views this as necessary to prevent a serious cyberattack. Before it does so, it will gain approval from an entity that is independent of the government.

Besides analyzing communications, the government will also enter attackers’ computer servers if necessary and neutralize the servers.

As for which communications will be monitored, the government has three cases in mind. These are communications between foreign countries via Japan; those between foreign countries and operators of important infrastructure in Japan, such as electric power companies; and those between foreign countries and users in Japan that are made via servers that were used for cyberattacks in the past.

In the second case, the government will gain consent from the companies before obtaining their information.

In the third case, the third-party entity will examine whether monitoring by the government is necessary before granting approval.

In all cases, the government is aiming to ensure that cyber defenses are in line with the Constitution’s guarantee of secrecy for communications.