Japan: Adopted Guidelines for Formulating Requirements for Systems Handling Important Information

On 18 July 2023, the Japanese Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) adopted Guidelines for Formulating Requirements for Systems Handling Important Information. The Guidelines were issued in response to a request from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry and aim to ensure the stable provision of services. The Guidelines are addressed to telecommunications providers and outline measures that should be implemented during the construction, procurement and operation of systems dealing with important information, such as cloud services. The important information includes data that, if accessed, tampered with, damaged or lost, could lead to substantial disruptions in service provision, posing risks to the safety, stability, and economy of the nation and its citizens.