Pentagon vows closer cyber ties with Japan

U.S. and Japanese defense officials over the weekend vowed to strengthen cybersecurity coordination and help each other respond to damaging cyberattacks.

“In the event of a serious cyber incident that threatens the security of either of our nations, including if such a cyber incident occurs as a part of an armed attack against Japan, the [Japanese Ministry of Defense] and [Defense Department] will consult closely and take appropriate cooperative actions,” said a joint statement issued after officials met during the Shangri-La Dialogue on Asian security held in Singapore.

{mosads}The pledge is a follow-up to the wide-ranging cyber alliance the two countries revealed in April during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s trip to Washington.

That agreement said the countries would share more data on cyber threats and the state-sponsored theft of intellectual property — a practice commonly tied to China. The two governments also committed to working together on “peacetime cyber norms” through the United Nations.

This weekend’s statement gives more specifics to how the cyber pact will work in a military context.

Japanese and U.S. military services will work to strengthen each other’s networks, develop “defensive cyberspace operations” and bolster joint cyber training and exercises.

“The MOD and DOD intend to explore options for enhanced operational cooperation between cyber units,” the statement said.

In recent months, the Obama administration has been making a push to ink cyber deals with its allies.

In addition to the pact with Japan, the U.S. has also signed deals with South Korea and the Gulf States.

Meanwhile, Russia and China finalized their own cyber pact, in what some saw as a move to counteract the slate of deals the U.S. was reaching. Russia and China are commonly seen as the United States’ two major cyber adversaries.