Special to the Japan Times

As host of last week’s Group of 20 summit and the upcoming 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Japan has had many reasons to focus on the security of the nation’s cyberdefenses. For their part, the Japanese public worries that cyberattacks from other countries pose a major threat, and they have doubts about their government’s preparedness for dealing with an attack of this kind.

As a 2018 Pew Research Center survey of Japanese public opinion highlights, 81 percent say attacks on computer systems launched from other countries are a major threat to Japan. Such fears are up 10 percentage points since 2016. Cyberattacks have been the top international worry among Japanese every year since 2016, surpassing issues such as climate change, North Korea’s nuclear program and neighboring China’s power and influence.

Internet users in Japan voice more worry about cyberattacks than those who do not use the net (84 percent and 71 percent, respectively, see these attacks as a major threat), though people without internet access are less likely to offer a response. Members of the Japanese public with higher levels of income and education are also especially worried about digital attacks.

Read more at the Japan Times