A/74/120 • The active participation of the country in international initiatives and cybersecurity actions of international organizations • Raising awareness among all social stakeholders and informing users about safe cyberspace usage • The constant adaptation of the national institutional framework to the new technological requirements as well as to the European guidelines • The promotion of innovation, research and development on security issues. Japan [Original: English] [14 May 2019] 1. General appreciation of the issues of information security Knowledge, technologies and services in cyberspace, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of things, Fintech, big data and 5G, are becoming established in society and leading to innovations that are transforming the existing structures in our socioeconomic activities and the daily lives of people, and these transformations are bringing about progress in the unification of cyberspace and real space. In order to enjoy the benefits of the knowledge, technologies and services of cyberspace, it is essential to control the latent uncertainties always therein. When such control is not possible, the potential exists for cybersecurity-related threats to increase rapidly. Benefits of cyberspace The number of Internet users in the world is rising, as is the spread of the Internet itself. Furthermore, in terms of devices, the rate of personal smartphone ownership has increased significantly, and the Internet usage rate is also rising. The ratio of social media users is also rising, as a result of which an environment now exists for easily communicating in cyberspace. The increasing adoption of services in cyberspace by society has promoted not only the free flow of information, but also the formation of diverse communities and the sharing of information. There has been progress in the area of financial activities as well, including online shopping, stock trading and online banking, while new services in the areas of Fintech and the sharing economy are appearing regularly and leading innovation. There has also been progress in the use of information and communications technology in medicine and nursing, welfare, education and other areas related to social issues such as the declining working-age population and the ageing of local communities. Increasing threats in cyberspace While artificial intelligence, the Internet of things and other technologies and services have the potential to bring many benefits to people, there is always the latent risk that the providers of these technologies and services will lose the ability to control them, in which case they can cause immeasurable economic and social loss or damage. As the unification of cyberspace and real space proceeds, the likelihood of this increases exponentially. Furthermore, cyberspace is a place unrestricted by space or time where anyone, including malicious actors, can misuse and abuse new information and communication technologies with ease. The very nature o f digital technology allows malicious actors to easily copy and distribute sensitive data and information, launch attack programmes and flexibly incorporate and make free use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. For that reason, the attackers have an asymmetrical advantage over the defenders, and that advantage is expected to increase particularly when the defender’s formation depends on 28/39 19-10580