Initial Disclosure Date: Aug 4, 2014

On August 1, 2014, IT Minister Ichita Yamamoto released a list of recommendations regarding how to ensure cyber security for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. The minister took his initiative to launch an executive panel on IT strategy under the Information Security Policy Council in February 2014 to craft the document.

The document estimates post-2020 social environment as follows:

• The expansion of IT usage and growth of dependence on IT
• Increasing concern over the depletion of natural resources due to the growth of global population and heightening tensions among countries
• Growing convenience and digital divide thanks to Internet of Things (IoT)
• Needs to accommodate a wide variety of cultures in the growth of foreign visitors to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020
• Increasing damages of a major natural disaster due to the centralization and sophistication of urban functions

The executive panel provides six use cases to deal with the aforementioned risks:

• Resolving legal issues for prompt information sharing and website contents reuse in emergency such as privacy-associated acts and the Copyright Law
• Establishing platforms to link secure IDs and services
• Providing IoT-associated products and services, which automatically ensure users to enjoy security
• Ensuring the business continuity of critical infrastructure by security-by-design and defense in depth
• Analyzing cyber threats not only from technical but also from geopolitical perspectives and sharing situational awareness with domestic and international customers including the academia, government, and industry in a timely manner, applying relevant security clearance if necessary
• Educating/training white hat hackers who are familiar with both defensive and offensive measures; fusing different areas such as business management, crisis management, law, national security, and psychology for comprehensive understanding of cyber threats; providing cyber security education at undergraduate/graduate level from business management perspectives to raise the awareness of the industry leadership; headhunting quality employees from overseas and joint research with non-Japanese people; and nurturing startup ventures in the cyber security field

The executive panel presents three strategic recommendations:

• Stronger cyber defenses especially for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020
• The growth of Japan’s economy and contribution to the international community through an internationally competitive IT industry
• The acceleration of cyber security research and capacity-building as well as the expansion of international cooperation in this area

Sources:

1. Executive panel on IT strategy, “IT rikatsuyo sekyuriti ni okeru sogo-teki katsu senryaku-teki na seisaku suishin ni kakaru teigen [a list of recommendations for strategic IT usage],” July 2014,
   http://www.nisc.go.jp/active/kihon/pdf/ituse20140728.pdf

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