Japan and the U.S. plan to hold their first comprehensive dialogue on cybersecurity in Tokyo in May in an effort to boost cooperation in dealing with growing Net-based attacks, sources said.

The two countries aim to beef up their countermeasures against cyber-attacks by launching cross-agency talks and discussing the matter from various perspectives, such as national security and the economy, the sources said Wednesday.

Designating cyber-attacks as a new national security threat, Tokyo and Washington will also discuss how they can address the issue under the framework of the bilateral security treaty, the sources said, adding that they will also discuss coordination in formulating international rules on cyberspace.

When they met in Washington last April, then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and President Barack Obama agreed to launch bilateral dialogue on computer issues.

U.S. participants in the parley are expected to include Christopher Painter from the State Department, as well as officials from the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security.

Osamu Imai, ambassador in charge of cyberpolicy, will be in the Japanese delegation, which is also likely to involve officials from the Defense Ministry, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry and the Cabinet Secretariat.