Information Security Software (Japanese Market)

Market size

According to Alexander Chachava^[1], Japan, a rich market for protective software, four times larger than Russian. In 2009, it amounted to about $900 million, while in Russia protective software was sold in the amount of $200-250 million.

Key players

In December 2010, Alexander Chachava said that Japan is a difficult market for security software developers: "The main thing on it is to find the right partner. The entire corporate segment is divided between the Big Three (Symantec, McAfee and TrendMicro - note CNews), and getting there is very problematic. "

The main struggle of antivirus developers is for home users and small businesses. In this segment, about 30% is occupied by TrendMicro, "which considers Japan to be its homeland," approximately 20% falls on Symantec and the same amount on the Indian K7, which is sold in Japan under the SourceNext brand. In addition, relatively new players are actively making their way to this market - Kaspersky and ESET.

The interests of ESET itself in the Land of the Rising Sun are represented by Canon (Canon Ru), and is successful, since Alexander Chachava calls Japan one of the few markets where ESET sells better than Kaspersky Lab products.

Kaspersky Lab, which opened its own representative office in Japan in 2004, notes that "the Japanese are extremely conservative and have a distrust of foreign products." Denis Chernov, Kaspersky Lab's territorial interaction manager, says that working in the segment of home users is hampered by a weak awareness of information security among Japanese users. The choice of an antivirus solution for them is often based on the price parameter.

The corporate segment, in turn, has the most stringent quality requirements compared to the rest of the world, and numerous regulations complicate the progress in this segment.

Therefore, it is logical that Kaspersky products are most represented on the home user market. However, the CEO of the company Evgeny Kaspersky previously noticed that the launch of a retail-focused advertising program in Japan led to an increase in sales in the corporate segment.

In December 2010, Doctor Web opened a representative office in Japan. Overall, Chachawa refers to the Japanese start of "Doctor Web" with some skepticism.

Chronicle

2025: Japan launches state program on import substitution of software in the field of cybersecurity due to great dependence on the United States

In early March 2025, it became known that Japan initiated a state program for import substitution of software in the field of cybersecurity. The project is aimed at reducing dependence on foreign products - primarily on the development of companies from the United States.

According to the Nikkei Asia resource, as of 2021, Japanese companies occupied about 40% of the local software market to counter cyber threats and ensure information security. However, in the segment of the latest security solutions, the share of developers from Japan is less than 10%. Therefore, the country's authorities have developed a number of measures aimed at strengthening the position of local software manufacturers.

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Фото: Freepik

The comprehensive initiative, among other things, provides for the provision of subsidies and the adoption of technology standards that will contribute to the development of the Japanese IT industry. The goal is to achieve a reduction in dependence on foreign software products.

The Japanese government has set itself the task of improving the information security situation. In particular, the Law on Active Cyber ​ ​ Protection has been developed, which allows the country's authorities to take more decisive measures to prevent cyber attacks - even before they cause large-scale damage. The document establishes a cybersecurity council and a committee to oversee the collection and analysis of information. The bill gives the prime minister's office new powers to collect critical information related to cybersecurity enforcement. The armed forces and law enforcement agencies are able to proactively respond to serious cyber threats - for example, by shutting down enemy servers. Moreover, in critical situations, specialists with the necessary powers can act even without explicit approval from the relevant supervisory authorities.^[2]

2022: Japanese police learn how to unlock computers infected with LockBit

At the end of December 2022, information appeared that law enforcement agencies Japan managed to successfully restore the data of several companies attacked by a dangerous one. virus extortioner More. here

Notes