On 11 November, the European Union and Japan held their sixth Cyber Dialogue in Tokyo. The dialogue took place shortly after the announcement of the EU-Japan Security and Defence Partnership at the EU-Japan Strategic Dialogue on 1 November.

During the Cyber Dialogue, the EU and Japan exchanged on the threat landscape and response to cyber malicious activities, provided updates on their latest policy and legislative developments on cybersecurity as well as in the areas of emerging technologies, cyber crisis management and cyber defence. The Dialogue also included exchanges on the respective EU and Japan’s frameworks for product security and resilience and protection of critical infrastructure, exploring possible ways of further cooperation.

They highlighted the good cooperation within international and regional forums, in particular in the discussion in the United Nations (UN) Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG), as well as the cooperation in view of the establishment of the UN Cyber Programme of Action (PoA). Cooperation in the context of the G7 and in support of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) where Confidence Building Measures (CBM) are being developed and implemented, was also discussed. Furthermore, the Dialogue included an exchange on cyber capacity-building approaches and actions.

On the EU side, the Dialogue was co-chaired by Maciej Stadejek, Deputy Managing Director for Peace, Security and Defence, European External Action Service (EEAS). He was accompanied by EEAS and Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) officials, and EU Member States’ representatives as observers.

On the Japanese side, the Dialogue was chaired by Yukio Saita, Ambassador in charge of Cyber Policy and Deputy Director-General of Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Centre of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC), the Cabinet Secretariat, the National Police Agency (NPA), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and JPCERT.

The next EU-Japan Cyber Dialogue will be hosted by the EU next year.

Background

The Dialogue also contributes to the implementation of actions under the EU-Japan Digital Partnership. During the week of the Cyber Dialogue, the EU will further engage on cyber issues in Tokyo. The EU-Japan-US Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity (ICS) Week for the Indo-Pacific Region 2024, a training programme aimed at enhancing the ICS cybersecurity capabilities of participants from the Indo-Pacific region, will take place 12-15 November Additionally, the EU will be represented by a team coached by European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) at the Kunoichi Cyber Games, an event aimed at enhancing the skills of young female cybersecurity engineers and developing international networks, taking place 14-15 November.