[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the second meeting of the Cyber Security Strategy Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, the “Cyber Security Strategy (draft),” the “Basic Policy for Inspecting the Strengthening of Cyber Security Measures,” and the “Policy for Setting Safety Standards Related to Ensuring the Information Security of Important Infrastructure and Other Matters” were decided. Following that were reports on “Cooperation with NISC and Related Organizations,” and the “Budget for the Government’s Cyber Security.”

The Prime Minister stated the following in his closing remarks:

“Ensuring safety in cyber space—in other words, cyber security—is not only an absolutely essential foundation in order to advance the utilization of IT in a wide range of fields, and to realize our Growth Strategy, but also an extremely important issue in maintaining the national security and crisis management of Japan. Moreover, in order to achieve the success of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, we must take all possible measures in regard to Japan’s cyber security.

As a result of all of your intensive considerations and unstinting efforts, a new Strategic Plan has been formulated. Once again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude.

This Strategy Plan will become the compass for our future cyber security policies.

With the awareness that a society where all kinds of things are connected to the Internet so as that actual space and cyber space are integrated in an advanced fashion—in other words, a “mutualistic, integrated information society”—is fast approaching, we have set forth a bold shift in concept that security is viewed not as a “cost,” but rather as an “investment.” This is in order to create safe products and services, and to increase corporate value and international competitiveness.

Furthermore, Japanese national security is a major pillar of the Cyber Security Strategy. With cyber space being called “the fifth domain of national security,” we must strengthen Japan’s ability to an even higher degree, so that we can respond appropriately to all kinds of situations, including advanced cyber-attacks that transcend national boundaries.

We must specify the details of this new Strategic Plan and steadily achieve its goals. To that end, I would like to request that this Cyber Security Strategy Headquarters, established based on the Cyber Security Basic Law, serves as the control tower; and that all parties involved collaborate closely among the public and private sectors in order to steadily advance effective measures. Thank you.”