Beyond Defense: Building a Strategic U.S.-Japan Cyber Partnership

"As the U.S.-Japan alliance confronts an era where digital threats increasingly target economic stability and national security, integrating cyber strategy into the relationship is essential. The longstanding pillars of military, trade, and diplomacy have supported peace and prosperity. Still, the rise of cyberspace as a borderless, high-stakes domain demands that both nations make cybersecurity a foundational element of their partnership in the Indo-Pacific and beyond."

"For decades, the U.S.-Japan alliance has been defined by three core pillars: military security, trade, and diplomacy. These foundations have underpinned stability in the Indo-Pacific, deterred aggression, and supported one of the most prosperous economic relationships in the world. However, in the 21st century, another domain has emerged to equal importance; a domain with no borders, where attacks can compromise systems in seconds, and where economic vitality, national security, and democratic stability are all simultaneously at stake. That domain is cyberspace."

"While cyber cooperation between the U.S. and Japan has grown in recent years, it still lags far behind the deep integration seen in our military, diplomatic, and economic ties. The next phase of our alliance should build on the progress already underway, notably Japan's elevation of cybersecurity in its 2022 National Security Strategy, the establishment of the new Active Cyber Defense Law, and the reimagining of the National Cybersecurity Office (NCO)."

The U.S.-Japan alliance's historical pillars of military security, trade, and diplomacy underlie Indo-Pacific stability and prosperity. Cyberspace has emerged as an equally critical, borderless domain where attacks can compromise systems in seconds and simultaneously threaten economic vitality, national security, and democratic stability. Cyber cooperation has increased but remains less integrated than other alliance components. Japan's 2022 National Security Strategy, the Active Cyber Defense Law, and the reimagined National Cybersecurity Office create momentum. Urgent action is needed to sustain and accelerate integration of cyber strategy through joint planning, information sharing, industrial resilience, legal coordination, deterrence measures, private-sector partnerships, and regional capacity-building.

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