Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday that the government will step up cybersecurity measures across relevant ministries and agencies in response to a recent series of personal data breaches caused by cyberattacks. “Under the leadership of the prime minister’s office, we will develop the necessary framework and accelerate measures at relevant ministries and agencies,” she said. At a meeting at the prime minister’s office, Takaichi received a proposal calling for the establishment of a headquarters to counter cyberattacks from Masaaki Taira, head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Headquarters for National Cybersecurity Strategy. “The situation is urgent, and public concern has reached a far more serious level than before,” she said in the meeting. “In response to cyberthreats that are becoming more serious in both scale and sophistication, we will first work to strengthen cybersecurity, with the National Cybersecurity Office serving as the command center,” the prime minister added. The proposal described the current spate of unauthorized access incidents as the eve of a cyber emergency. It also said that artificial intelligence-driven cyber saturation attacks, in which cyberattacks are launched simultaneously using AI, are becoming a realistic threat. It called for measures such as securing so-called white hat hackers, or ethical experts with advanced cybersecurity knowledge, establishing a liaison point for collaboration with leading AI companies, and considering making it mandatory to obtain My Number identification cards. Also on Friday, Team Mirai leader Takahiro Anno submitted a proposal to Digital transformation minister Toshiharu Furukawa, calling for the use of AI to counter cyberattacks. Warning that the rapid advancement of AI is increasing attack capabilities, Anno said, “We must also anticipate large-scale damage that could lead to the shutdown of lifeline services.” Specifically, Anno called on the government to secure access to cutting-edge AI models and support the development of domestic AI. He also proposed establishing a cyber incident investigation committee to investigate the causes of serious incidents and take measures to prevent recurrence. He further called for government subsidies for AI usage fees to help small and midsize companies use AI to identify system vulnerabilities. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
