TOKYO: Japan’s National Police Agency said Thursday that it will seek 5,962 million yen to strengthen cyberattack countermeasures in its budget request for fiscal 2025.

The fund will be used mainly to enhance investigation capabilities and improve measures to fight phishing using generative artificial intelligence technology.

Of the total, 343 million yen will be requested partly to procure computers because the staff at the NPA’s national cyber department will increase by about a dozen. For the fight against phishing, 26 million yen will be allocated to the introduction of a generative AI system to detect fake websites.

The Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake that hit central Japan left many roads cut off, making it difficult for rescue workers to enter disaster-affected areas.

To address such problems, the agency will seek 1,789 million yen to procure four-wheel drive vehicles good for rough roads and small and lightweight chain saws that can be easily transported on helicopters.

The budget request also includes 2,094 million yen mainly for security and chartered vehicles for the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan.

The agency’s overall general-account budget request for fiscal 2025, which starts next April, came to 328,463 million yen, up 17,503 million yen from the previous year.

JIJI Press