Tokyo, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government and the ruling bloc are considering a law revision to allow monitoring of communications between parties in Japan, in order to improve the ability to detect cyberattacks targeting the country, it was learned Monday.

Currently, the laws on active cyberdefense, designed to prevent major cyberattacks before they occur, only allow the monitoring of communications between foreign countries via Japan or those between Japan and foreign countries. Ruling party members argue that this does not provide sufficient information to prevent attacks.

The government and the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling bloc began discussing the proposed revision in earnest Monday, following the recent series of personal data breaches. On Friday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed members of a ministerial meeting on cybersecurity to consider revising the laws, alongside the creation of an emergency response package.

The government will "conduct discussions from the perspective of strengthening information-gathering capabilities," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference Monday.

Japan's active cyberdefense program is centered on monitoring communications, entering attackers' systems and neutralizing threats, and strengthening public-private cooperation.

Former digital transformation minister Masaaki Taira (center), head of the Liberal Democratic Party's Headquarters for National Cybersecurity Strategy, speaks at a meeting at the party headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]