Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced on Friday an emergency cyber security package aimed at taking a more proactive stance against cyber attacks, following a string of security breaches that have shaken the Japanese corporate world.
She stated that the package will include the use of artificial intelligence to strengthen foundational defense measures and capabilities for responding to cyber attacks.
Approximately 10 billion yen (US$63.2 million) has been allocated for related initiatives, covering deeper investigation and analysis of attacks as well as support for victims.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting held Friday evening at the Prime Minister's Office to discuss the plan, Takaichi said, "Even at this very moment, unauthorized access and data leaks are occurring, potentially causing significant impact on people's lives and the business community."
"We will make every necessary effort to ensure the enhancement of the nation's ability to respond to such incidents," she said.
The Japanese government will accelerate plans to conduct a comprehensive AI-powered screening of critical infrastructure and systems used by government agencies before March next year to eliminate security vulnerabilities.
The cost of this screening is expected to account for about one-fifth of the 10 billion yen package, according to reports.
Cyber attacks and vulnerabilities discovered in the PHP programming language used by some websites have made rapid response an urgent priority for Japanese businesses and the government.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party stated that the recent wave of cyber attacks constitutes a serious crisis, which could be described as "the eve of a cyber emergency," posing a threat to Japan's national security.
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