Tokyo Tightens Cyber Defense After Protest

Reviewed by Hitoshi URABE

Article:
Tokyo Tightens Cyber Defense After Protest
(AP) BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/
financialnews/D8A133G01.htm?campaign_id=apn_home_down

Comments:

The article reports Japan has had to strengthen defense measures after its government agencies' websites were victimized by DoS (Denial of Service) attacks. The government made no comment on the origin of the attacks, but it is generally assumed, from various traces of the attacks, that they were organized in China and/or Korea where anti-Japan sentiment have flared up recently.

It was less than a decade ago, when establishing websites became a simple task, with many internet service providers beginning to offer such services at very low cost and ample support for the novice. At the time, the ordinary people were solicited to establish their own personal websites so they "could introduce themselves and their family to the world and perhaps make friends with the people on the other side of the globe." How naive, and dangerous, from today's viewpoint.

During the while, government agencies, especially those in democratic societies as in Japan where even governments need to convince the people of their worthiness, began to establish their websites to announce and advertise their activities. They soon learned, however, that there are always those people who for some reason find vandalism amusing. Governmental site operators, along with their corporate counterparts, thus began to implement defense measures. Nevertheless, it has been generally of a gradual progress.

The magnitude of attacks this time, however, was apparently unprecedented. While no fatal or serious damage was done to the sites attacked, it became clear that better and more comprehensive framework was needed to defend the websites. The government thus made a decision, and announced, to strengthen the defense to protect the websites, which has now become a vital means to voice its views to the world.

It was indeed appropriate for the government to adopt necessary measures before becoming too late, and from such a perspective, the recent attacks have had the effect of people becoming aware, and reviewing Japan's resistibility against various types of offences not limited to cyber-attacks.

Accordingly, if in fact the cyber-attacks were originated in China or Korea, it would be adding another element to the sequence of similar provocative incidents, such as the territorial claim on Takeshima and Senkakus with related rights on development of ocean and sea-bottom resources, submarine's intrusion into Japanese waters, and most notably, the recent state-sponsored riots attacking Japanese embassy and consulates in Chinese cities.

Perhaps ironic, especially to those factions in China and Korea whose tactical aim was to weaken Japan, is that these incidents, and similar preceding events, has in effect enhanced Japan's policy to become a more "normal" nation by implementing effective and realistic plans and means to protect the lives and properties of its citizens. Recent polls show that even Prime Minister Koizumi is gaining popularity mainly because of his handling of the incidents in a matured manner.