Introduction - The next Cybersecurity Strategy to be formulated based on the Basic Act on Cybersecurity (hereinafter referred to as the “Basic Act”) will be the third one, and it has been six years since the Basic Act was enacted in 2015. During this period, cyberspace itself has both expanded in quantity and evolved in quality, becoming increasingly integrated with the real space. It is safe to say that Japan has entered an era of Cybersecurity for All, in which cybersecurity must be ensured for all the people, business sectors, local communities, etc. - This strategy will set out the goals and implementation policies of the various measures that must be taken in the next three years during the early 2020s. These goals and policies will be provided from a medium- to long-term perspective and based on an understanding of the times as outlined below. At the same time, this strategy will communicate to all stakeholders, foreign governments, and attackers Japan’s commitment to ensuring cybersecurity based on the lessons learned from the response to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, digital transformation, and the experience to be gained through the handling of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (hereinafter referred to as the “Tokyo Games”) to be held this year. 1 Social and Global Context Surrounding Japan in the 2020s (i) Changes in the economic and social landscape—spread of digital economy and promotion of digital transformation - The rise of the internet has led to the creation of a new space called “cyberspace,” and the great advancement of the digital economy through the Heisei era (1989–2019). - The impact of the digital economy has affected people’s everyday life. In Japan, about 90%1 of the people use the internet today for an average of more than two hours a day.2 People’s behavior has changed, including the growing use of IoT, AI, 5G, and cloud services, diffusion of remote working, and implementation of e-learning, and cyberspace has become a foundation of economic and social activities for everyone. There are growing expectations for the realization of Society 5.0,3 in which cyberspace is integrated with real space at a high level.4 - The Digital Agency will be established to lead the effort to create a digital society, and promote digital transformation under the vision of creating “a society where people can choose services that suit their needs and realize diverse forms of happiness through the use of digital technology,” with the aim of achieving “people-friendly digitalization, with no-one left behind.” Data from the 2019 Communications Usage Trend Survey (published on May 29, 2020) conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Internet users account for 89.8% of respondents overall, and over 50% of respondents aged 80 and above. 2 Data from the FY2019 Survey Report on Usage Time of Information and Communications Media and Information Behavior (published on September 30, 2020) conducted by the Institute for Information and Communications Policy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. 3 Society 5.0 is the 5th stage of human history, following the hunting society, agricultural society, industrial society, and information society. It is a society in which new value and new services are created continuously bringing wealth to the people of society. (Source: Growth Strategy 2017 (Cabinet Decision on June 9, 2017) 4 Some argue that an era of “cyber-physical space” is already here. 1 2