By Shuhei Kuromi

8:00 JST, January 11, 2025

The government’s design for an “active cyber defense” system, which is aimed at preventing serious cyberattacks, is now in the final stages of preparation before the submission of related bills to the ordinary Diet session this year.

At the end of November, a panel of experts compiled its recommendations for an active cyber defense system. Kenichiro Sasae, a former ambassador to the United States who chaired the panel, commented: “We have produced a good report. The next step, which includes the drafting of bills, is extremely important for gaining the understanding of the public.”

The main feature of an active cyber defense system is that it enables government agencies to acquire and analyze communications data. To ensure compatibility with the Constitution, which guarantees the “secrecy of communications,” the government is considering three main types of monitoring.

Firstly, regarding communications sent from one foreign country to another that pass through Japan, the degree of protection provided by the Constitution is weak. It is thought that, if there is a security-related need, it will be possible to acquire the information without the consent of users. Because Japan is a major hub in Asia for undersea cables, which handle 90% of international traffic for electronic communications, it is expected that information on cyberattacks by countries such as China and Russia can be........

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