Press Releases

From May 24th to 28th, the final meeting of the UN Group of Governmantal Experts on Cybersecurity was held online and the consensus report on advancing responsible state behavior in cyberspace was adopted. (AKAHORI Takeshi, Deputy Assistant Minister, Foreign Policy Bureau (Ambassador for UN Affairs, Cyber Policy), represented Japan.)

1. This report presents the common understanding of the 25 Experts of the Group appointed by UN Secretary General on existing and emerging threats, norms, rules and principles of responsible State behaviour, how international laws applies in cyberspace, confidence building and international cooperation and capacity building in cyberspace. From Japan, Ambassador Akahori participated in the meeting as one of the government experts and actively contributed to the preparation of the report in close cooperation with other experts.
2. In this report, it was reaffirmed that the existing international laws in particular the UN Charter are applicable to cyberspace, and the discussion progressed on the specific application of international laws to cyberspace, such as specifying the application of international humanitarian law, and confirming the inherent rights of states as recognized in the UN Charter, which Japan has been emphasizing. Additional understanding of responsible State behaviour, such as State’s use of its territory, respect for human rights, protection of critical infrastructure, and ICT supply chains, was also gained.
3. The draft of the consensus report agreed upon this time is expected to be submitted to the UN General Assembly (76th UN General Assembly) this year.
4. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan will continue to make efforts in various fields to ensure security in cyberspace.