Japan Cybersecurity

According to a May 2022 IDC Japan report, the market size for cybersecurity products in Japan is $3.6 billion, up 16 percent from the previous year.  As the pandemic shifted work patterns from the office to online, security incidents including phishing, malware, identify theft, and breaches to company systems rose sharply across the country.  Japan has also experienced a spike in cybersecurity incidents/effects including ransomware attacks, confidential information theft from Advanced Persistent Threats, and supply chain vulnerabilities resulting from attacks. The number of ransomware attacks reported to the National Police Agency in the first half of 2022 was 114, a steady increase since 2020, and reported damages were indiscriminate between the size and type of the companies/organizations.

In 2022, Japan released two major security-related documents: the Cybersecurity Policy for Critical Infrastructure Protection (CPCIP) (released in June by the Cybersecurity Strategic Headquarters, a Chief Cabinet Secretary-led body), and a revised National Security Strategy (NSS) (December).  The release of these documents signifies the Japanese government’s renewed emphasis on information and cybersecurity.  The CPCIP will help critical infrastructure operators to further promote organization-wide responses, involving top management, CISOs, strategic management and system personnel.  The NSS, a more comprehensive document that outlines Japan’s updated security strategy in the face of today’s new threats, specifically addresses the nation’s need to strengthen its cybersecurity response capabilities and to adopt cutting-edge practices and technologies related to cybersecurity.

To assist and promote U.S. companies providing cybersecurity solutions, the United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA) has organized an executive-led Cybersecurity Business Development Trade Mission to Taiwan (Taipei), South Korea (Seoul), and Japan (Tokyo) from September 18-26, 2023.  The two-day Japan leg of this mission (September 25-26) will include briefings from Japanese and U.S. government officials, one-on-one meetings with prospective partners/agents/distributors, roundtable discussions with industry associations, and an Embassy-hosted networking reception.  Detailed information can be accessed at https://www.trade.gov/cyber-mission-asia