assistance to these agencies. Japan will actively participate in the promotion of the Convention on Cybercrime (so-called the Budapest Convention) by assisting countries to become State Parties to the Budapest Convention and by conducting capacity building activities. Through promotion of the Budapest Convention, Japan seeks to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation and formation of international norms in the field of countering cybercrime. Japan will build upon the ongoing measures for international cooperation in order to respond to cybercrime incidents more swiftly. For instance, the Japanese government seconds our official as the first Executive Director of the new INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), which is being established in Singapore to complement the General Secretariat of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO). 4.1.3 Establishing framework of cooperation for international security in cyberspace Cyberspace is a relatively new “domain”, comparable to land, sea, air and space, in which national security activities are also conducted, such as information-gathering, attack and defense. Actively promoting international cooperation and establishing framework of cooperation are important for ensuring stability of the use of cyberspace. Japan will actively take part in international rulemaking on the use of cyberspace; develop confidence-building measures through dialogues and information-exchange bilaterally and multilaterally including via regional frameworks such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF); and promote capacity building in order not to leave any regions in the international community vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. Given that cooperation with the United States (U.S.) as our ally bears an extremely significant importance for our national security, Japan will accelerate the dialogues at various levels, such as the Japan-U.S. IT Forum, which is held between Japanese and the U.S. defense authorities, and the Japan-U.S. Cyber Dialogue, which is held between relevant Japanese and U.S. ministries and agencies. In an effort to reinforce deterrence and to enhance effectiveness of the Japan-U.S. Security Arrangements, Japan will continue to further strengthen partnership with the U.S. through various means including close sharing of information and best practices on cyber threats and the responses, more practical joint training exercises, and cooperation to ensure security of the shared systems between the Japanese and the U.S. defense authorities. Furthermore, Japan will actively work toward establishing a global framework of cooperation for international security in cyberspace. Given that cyberspace is expanding globally, Japan will continue to share information and exchange views on relevant measures through discussions at various levels in order to actively promote cooperation with relevant countries and international organizations. Japan will also make efforts to deepen mutual understanding and develop confidence-building measures. 5