Ministry of Defense of Japan

History

2023: Hackers hack into Japan's military communications networks

In early August 2023, it became known that Japan's military communications networks were subjected to a cyber attack. It is assumed that the attack is organized by hacker groups related to China.

According to the Washington Post, Chinese military hackers hacked into the classified defense networks of the most important strategic ally USA in Eastern. Asia Cyber spies from the People's Liberation Army China allegedly infiltrated Japan's most secretive computer systems. This hack is called one of the "most destructive in modern Japanese history."

Japan's military networks were hacked

The penetration of Japanese IT systems was so serious that General Paul Miki Nakasone, head of the US National Security and Cyber ​ US Cybercom Agency, and Matthew Pottinger, who was once deputy national security adviser at the White House, went to Tokyo to investigate the incident.

It is noted that the PRC espionage program is of concern to the United States, since China "is developing opportunities for cyber attacks that can be used to disrupt critical services." The authorized bodies of the United States could not tell the Japanese side how American intelligence learned about the Chinese penetration into the IT systems of Japan.

China, which already boasts the world's largest legion of state-sponsored hackers, is expanding its cyber capabilities. Since mid-2021, the U.S. government and Western cybersecurity firms have recorded increasing Chinese penetration into critical infrastructure in the United States and Asia-Pacific countries. Objectives include communications, transportation and utility systems, as well as other critical facilities.^[1]

2019: Building Japan's first cyber weapon

At the end of April 2019, it became known about the creation of the first cyber weapon for Japan. It is planned to be used to protect against hackers.

According to Kyodo news agency, the Japanese Ministry of Defense is developing malware that can penetrate computers and prevent cyber attacks.

The government said the country is seeking to expand its defensive capabilities beyond land, sea and air forces to address security concerns in new areas such as cyber and space amid technological advances in recent years.

Japanese government creates computer viruses as cyber weapons

Japan lags behind other countries in terms of resources to combat hackers. So, by the end of April 2019, the cyber division of the Ministry of Defense has only 150 people, it is planned to increase to 220. For comparison, in the United States, the staff of such a structure is 6.2 thousand people, in North Korea - 7 thousand, in China - 130 thousand, the department said.

According to Kyodo, the Japanese military has found a compromise between the country's defensive policy and the need to aggressively protect cyberspace. By March 2019, private contractors must submit variants of computer viruses and military backdoors for hidden presence in enemy networks. If necessary, they will be able to disrupt other people's attacks and implicitly serve as a deterrent. All details of the project are classified.

It is known that Japan will use cyber weapons for defensive purposes. For example, in situations where Japanese organizations will be subjected to cyber attacks. Then the attackers will receive viruses in response. However, no details and detailed scenarios for the use of cyber weapons were announced by the end of April 2019.

Previously, Japan has already tried to create cyber weapons. So, in 2012, the Japanese government instructed Fujitsu to develop software for detecting and neutralizing sources of cyber attacks, but the project was never implemented.^[2]

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