Japan Office to Oversee Active Cyber Defense Established; Part of Related Legislation Goes Into Effect

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:49 JST, July 1, 2025

The National Cybersecurity Office, which will serve as the nation’s control tower for active cyber defense, was established Tuesday. Part of new cyber defense-related legislation also went into effect on the day.

Minister for digital transformation Masaaki Taira will serve as minister in charge of cybersecurity, overseeing the new system to strengthen the nation’s cyber defense capability. Taira will take the lead in fully developing the system before all the legislation goes into effect in 2027.

“Dangers in cyberspace could have a serious impact on the safe, stable lives of members of the public, as well as on national security,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at an inaugural ceremony for the cybersecurity office held at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Key points of an active cyber defense include strengthening public-private cooperation, monitoring communication information, and the police and Self-Defense Forces hacking into and neutralizing servers that are the source of cyberattacks.

Based on the cyber defense-related legislation, which was passed during the latest ordinary Diet session, an active cyber defense will begin in stages between 2026 and 2027. The new office is responsible for preparing for full-scale implementation and for overall coordination after that.

The cybersecurity office was established within the Cabinet Office by significantly expanding the National Center for Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity. Yoichi Iida, a former deputy chief executive of the center, will head the new office in an administrative vice ministerial-level post.

The government will establish an expert panel to discuss and finalize by the end of the year a basic policy on active cyber defense based on the legislation. Specific operational rules will be established, including the obligation of operators of “critical infrastructure,” such as electricity and water supply businesses, to report cyberattacks to the government.

Prior to the ceremony, the first meeting of the “Cybersecurity Strategy Headquarters,” whose head has been upgraded from the chief cabinet secretary to the prime minister, was held. Ishiba instructed relevant ministers to finalize a new cybersecurity strategy by the end of the year.