The Defense Ministry will launch a cyberspace defense unit Wednesday tasked with responding to attacks on the networks of the ministry and the Self-Defense Forces.
The unit will be stationed within the ministry compound in Tokyo and made up of about 90 personnel from the Ground, Maritime and Air branches of the SDF.
The government is considering expanding the unit's responsibilities to include other government offices.
The ministry is also weighing the possibility of acquiring the ability to retaliate if another country launches a cyberattack, but it remains unclear how to deal with the matter in terms of Japan's exclusively defensive posture.