Japan, together with the United States, is backing up the Philippines' cybersecurity enhancement, especially to protect critical information infrastructures (CIIs).
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippines chief representative Takema Sakamoto committed "unwavering support" to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) during the Critical Information Infrastructures Protection (CIIP) Summit held on Thursday, Oct. 10.
"JICA has started a two-year technical cooperation, through the dispatch of Japanese cybersecurity experts, to support the DICT's initiatives strongly," Sakamoto noted, referring to the project from October 2023 to September 2025 aimed at strengthening the cyber resilience of the Philippine government's CIIs under the National Cybersecurity Plan 2023-2028.
"Specifically, JICA is enthusiastic to support the DICT's capacity development, and to strengthen inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration for more effective collective actions. Moreover, noting the importance of public awareness, our JICA experts are also engaged in various activities necessary for awareness raising," Sakamoto said.
The JICA Philippines chief added that it helps that Japan, the Philippines and the US also engage in strategic cooperation in the cybersecurity front, including their first-ever joint training program conducted in July.
After these three countries' leaders pledged to collaborate in cyber defense during their trilateral summit in Washington, DC, last April, JICA, the DICT and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) followed through with this CIIP Summit, he noted.
"The pressing need for the Philippines to address the challenges to protect the nation in the field of cybersecurity is inevitable," Sakamoto pointed out.
He cited that while the country's ranking rose to 53rd place in the 2024 United Nations Global Cybersecurity Index, leading security software developer Kaspersky ranked it fourth globally and No. 1 in Southeast Asia in terms of web threats and hacking attacks, respectively.
"A prosperous future cannot be assured without proper protection of digital assets... It is clear that the internet is a global network that requires global protection. If one system is compromised, all systems are at risk, and everyone becomes vulnerable. These circumstances led JICA to swiftly enhance partnership with the DICT," he said.