Japan has embarked on an effort to improve cybersecurity as an ever-increasing number of sophisticated computer viruses threaten to endanger national security.
On March 26, the Self-Defense Forces activated a cyberspace defense unit, the "saiba boeitai," tasked with monitoring and responding to attacks on the Defense Ministry's networks. That same month, the government held its first large-scale cybersecurity drill to counter simulated attacks on the ministries and 10 industry associations, including banks and distribution firms.
Observers say Japan has made progress in defending its cyberspace in recent years but still lags far behind major players like the United States, China, Russia, Israel and South Korea, which acted much earlier than Tokyo.