TOKYO: The Japanese government is considering establishing a third-party panel to oversee the country’s planned active cyber defense system, designed to detect signs of cyberattacks and take action before they are carried out, people familiar with the matter said Saturday.

By establishing the panel based on the national government organization law, the government hopes to dispel concerns about violating the constitutionally guaranteed secrecy of communications, the people said.

The active cyber defense system is expected to constantly monitor communications to prevent damage. If it detects signs of an attack, it will break into the attacker’s server and take measures to make the attack harmless. The government aims to submit a related bill to an extraordinary parliament session expected to be convened in autumn, based on the results of discussions by experts.

The planned third-party panel is expected to have the authority to make recommendations to the government and be highly independent like the Fair Trade Commission and the Nuclear Regulation Authority. It will check to see if the government is collecting information for purposes other than cyber defense.

Currently, efforts are underway for the country’s Self-Defense Forces and police to jointly take on active cyber defense.

The SDF is already monitoring and protecting its own information systems. The SDF law will be revised to newly assign members to cyber defense missions. In April, the National Police Agency realigned its organization partly in an effort to better address serious cyberattacks.

“Only certified people should be allowed to handle information” under the active cyber defense system, one source linked to the ruling bloc said, apparently with the country’s security clearance system in mind.

JIJI Press