Govt to train ASEAN officials in cybersecurity

The government plans to invite officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations secretariat and policymakers from the 10 member countries to Japan for training on cybersecurity in January and February.

This is to be the first project based on a technical cooperation agreement signed in May, and the training is expected to last for two or three weeks.

From the Japanese side, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity, and companies and organizations involved in telecommunications will take part.

The training is to involve lectures on the latest countermeasures and technology trends in cybersecurity, and opportunities for the participants to exchange views on cooperation between Japan and ASEAN.

Amid the roll-out of 5G next-generation telecommunication standards, the United States has banned the use of products from Huawei Technologies Co., a major Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer.

With this in mind, the government wants to share information on so-called supply chain risks, such as viruses embedded in telecommunications equipment that could cause data leaks.

While the government has limited technical cooperation via its official development assistance to individual countries, the agreement makes it possible to work with ASEAN as a whole.

The government plans to use the accord's framework to implement comprehensive technical collaboration in other areas, such as disaster prevention and maritime security.

China, through its huge Belt and Road economic initiative, has increased its influence in the ASEAN region by means of massive funding.

As relations with China differ among the individual ASEAN countries, it has prevented them from taking a consistent response to issues such as disputes in the South China Sea.

The government wants to differentiate itself from China by strengthening its support for ASEAN overall, and thereby increase its presence in the region.

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