US tech giant Google has opened a new cyber defence centre in Tokyo as the region faces growing digital security threats from China, the company said, AFP reports.
The new centre, named the "Cyber Security Center of Excellence", aims to lead research and train tech talent to counter the threat of cyber attacks, Google said.
"We are officially launching the Center of Excellence for Cybersecurity in Japan, which aims to connect leading security professionals, researchers and partners," Google said in a statement.
The centre will invite technology experts from countries including India, Australia and South Korea to jointly explore measures against cyberattacks, the Nikkei business daily reported, adding that it is Google's first such centre in Asia.
The moves come after Google warned in October that the Asia-Pacific region faced "more cyberattacks than any other region", attributing its vulnerability in part to a "chronic talent shortage".
Japanese authorities have also backed these concerns.
In September, the National Police Agency (NPA) joined its U.S. counterparts, including the FBI, in warning of widespread malware attacks by Chinese-linked cyber actors known as BlackTech.
BlackTech is "targeting government, industrial, technology, media, electronics and telecommunications sectors, including entities that support the U.S. and Japanese militaries," the NPA said in a joint statement.
With security threats on the rise, the new center "will aim to improve Japan's cybersecurity infrastructure" through the use of cutting-edge technology and in-depth collaboration, said Junichiro Uchiyama, interim head of the new center.
Washington has warned that China poses the "broadest, most active and persistent cyber espionage threat" to its government and private sector.
For its part, Beijing accuses Washington of being "the world's largest hacking empire," citing its well-documented forays into cyberwarfare, online surveillance and hacking. / BGNES
