Cybersecurity is no longer a backroom technical issue – it is a matter of national survival, strategic positioning, and public trust. Nowhere is this more evident than in Japan.

Over the past year, Japan has faced a surge in increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
From core government institutions to key industries, a wide range of sectors has suffered damage.
The ransomware attack in June 2023 that paralyzed the Port of Nagoya starkly underscored the reality that Japan’s digital infrastructure is being strategically targeted.

These incidents have shaken public confidence and spurred a long-overdue awareness. Influential voices in the media now call Japan’s cyber defenses “too little, too late.” And for a nation so dependent on undersea data cables, vulnerabilities are more than just theoretical – they’re existential.

But the tide is turning. Cybersecurity has become a top-five priority in the revised 2022 National Security Strategy. Japan is no longer just reacting – it is rebuilding. From investing $67 million in domestic security software to strengthening Microsoft compatibility across government systems, Japan is laying the foundation for digital sovereignty.

This is not just a technological challenge – it is a geopolitical one. Japan stands on the frontlines of democracy in Asia, facing assertive neighbors in China, Russia, and North Korea. In response, it has built a web of international alliances: the U.S.-Japan cyber dialogue, trilateral coordination with the Philippines, the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Community Alliance, and cyber cooperation with NATO and the UK.

The urgency is clear. Cyber threats do not respect borders, and they do not wait for policy to catch up. Organizing a major cybersecurity event in Japan is not only timely – it is essential. It brings together minds, fosters resilience, and signals to adversaries that Japan is not just aware – but ready.
Cyber defense is no longer optional. It is Japan’s next frontier.