Economic resilience guided Japan’s latest policy shift on Friday as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ordered a review of the Economic Security Promotion Law. She asked economic security minister Kimi Onoda to prepare revisions that strengthen national safeguards and support private companies expanding overseas.
Takaichi addressed the Council for the Promotion of Economic Security at the Prime Minister’s Office. She said Japan must boost crisis-management investment to secure long-term growth and greater economic resilience. She also warned that cyberattacks now threaten vital systems and require faster government action.
The current law mainly supports stable supply chains for semiconductors and other critical materials. Officials now want a wider scope that includes projects such as submarine cable construction. They believe these networks strengthen strategic routes and reinforce economic resilience across key sectors.
The government is also preparing support for private-sector infrastructure work overseas. These efforts may include financial assistance for port upgrades and dock repairs along major transport corridors. Officials say these moves counter China’s expanding influence in emerging economies where it controls key ports.
Japan also plans to create a new think tank under the Cabinet Secretariat. The group will coordinate economic security strategies and manage confidential public-private discussions. Leaders argue that faster information sharing improves policy execution in a more complex global environment.
The planned amendment would also classify medical facilities as core infrastructure. This change reflects rising cyber risks after the 2022 attack on the Osaka General Medical Center. Once classified, major hospitals will need government approval before installing new critical systems, ensuring the technology can withstand cyber threats.
Officials will refine the proposal after reviewing expert panel feedback. The government aims to submit the amendment during next year’s ordinary Diet session. Japan reviews the law every three years to reflect changing global conditions.
Leaders say the updated policy will strengthen supply chains, protect essential systems and deepen international partnerships. They believe these steps will secure national interests and reinforce economic resilience as global competition grows.
