Next year, Japan will legalize preventive cyberattacks to protect itself

The Japanese authorities are planning to conduct «active cyber defense» starting in 2023, with amendments to legislation that will allow Japanese specialists to conduct preventive warfare against hackers, the Nikkei newspaper reported.

The Japanese authorities are introducing this decision to prevent cyber threats, which will reduce the risks to information systems used in the Japanese economy. Under current law, such measures can only be taken in response to emergencies after a cyberattack.

The publication notes that by the end of 2022, three national security documents should be presented and updated in Japan — the national security strategy, the norms of the national defense program and the medium-term defense program.

Earlier, the Lazarus group (hackers from North Korea) was accused of systematic attempts to hack Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges. These attacks were not unique, so the position of the Japanese authorities seems more than logical.