Japanese investments soar under PBBM

ment Centers in Osaka and Tokyo. The recent Philippine-Japan Investment Fora offered the prospects of investing in the Philippines on several sectors such as manufacturing, IT-BPM, agro-processing, and the academe and this signifies Japan’s growing interest to continue investing and expanding operations in the Philippines.

Tensions between the US and China are increasing due in part to concerns of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which would likely be accompanied by cyberattacks, particularly in the early stages.

In 2019, the US and Japan agreed that a cyberattack against either country in Japan could, in certain circumstances, constitute an armed attack. The US has about 56,000 troops based in Japan, according to the US Defense Department.

In August 2021, Yasuhide Nakayama, who was then Japan’s state minister of defense, said he and Nakasone were “opening a new chapter in our joint efforts in cyberspace” as part of a visit to US Cyber Command to discuss security challenges in cyberspace and bilateral cooperation, according to US Cyber Command.

Japan established a Cyber Defense Group in 2014, as part of its Self-Defense Forces. But amid a growing spate of cyberattacks, it reorganized and launched a full cyber defense command in March 2022, along with a commitment to engage in offensive cyber operations and plans to expand to 4,000 people by the end of 2027, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

In addition to visits to Japan by both Nakasone and Neuberger, then National Cyber Director Chris Inglis also visited Japan in December 2022.

In a statement provided to Bloomberg News, the US Defense Department described the US-Japan Alliance as the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and said it was strengthening cyber cooperation as part of “Alliance modernization efforts.”

In January, the US and Japan agreed to “intensify collaboration to counter increasingly sophisticated and persistent cyber threats” following security talks to strengthen the alliance in Washington DC.

“The United States welcomed Japan’s initiatives to bolster its national cybersecurity posture,” said a joint statement, citing the creation of a new organization to coordinate whole-of-government cybersecurity policies and a new framework set to “provide a foundation for a wider range of US-Japan cooperation.” With assistance from Isabel Reynolds /Bloomberg