The United States and Japan have agreed to significantly deepen their cybersecurity partnership following two days of high-level talks in Washington, with both sides committing to expand intelligence sharing, fortify critical infrastructure defences, counter cybercrime across the Indo-Pacific, and accelerate the adoption of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). The commitments were formalised in a joint statement issued after the 11th US-Japan Cyber Dialogue, held on 30 June and 1 July in Washington.

Structure of the Dialogue

The United States hosted the meeting, co-chaired by the Department of State's Bureau of Emerging Threats and the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Japan was represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Cybersecurity Office.

The US delegation was broad-based, drawing officials from the White House National Security Council, the Office of the National Cyber Director, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Japan's delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Defence, the National Police Agency, and the Public Security Intelligence Agency.

Key Commitments Made

In the joint statement, both governments said they 'reaffirmed their shared commitment to addressing threats in cyberspace directly.' The two sides agreed to leverage emerging technologies — including artificial intelligence (AI) — and to advance 'secure and sovereign cloud infrastructure built on trusted technology' to deepen information-sharing and interoperability between their respective agencies.

Both countries also pledged to 'exchange cyber threat information and assessments of sophisticated state and non-state cyber actors, including threats to critical infrastructure and the growing role of AI, to counter malicious cyber activities.' Aligning international cyber policies and sharing national cyber strategies were also part of the agreed agenda.

Indo-Pacific Focus and Cybercrime

A notable element of the dialogue was the explicit focus on the broader Indo-Pacific region. The two governments committed to 'combat cybercrime and scam centres in the Indo-Pacific region through law enforcement action, international diplomacy, and coordinated engagement with the private sector as appropriate.' They also agreed to 'coordinate technical assistance for cyber resilience and defence in third countries across the Indo-Pacific region,' signalling an outward-looking dimension to the bilateral partnership.

Post-Quantum Cryptography Push

Among the more technically significant commitments, both nations agreed to 'collaborate to accelerate Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) adoption domestically.' PQC refers to cryptographic algorithms designed to withstand attacks from quantum computers — a threat that security agencies worldwide consider a near-term strategic risk as quantum computing capabilities advance. This aligns with broader moves by Western allies to future-proof their digital infrastructure ahead of the so-called 'harvest now, decrypt later' threat.

What Comes Next

The joint statement confirmed that follow-on consultations would be held to advance the priorities identified during the dialogue. Both sides also committed to continued close coordination on cyber policy, operations, technical assistance, and private-sector engagement. This is the 11th iteration of the bilateral cyber dialogue, reflecting the sustained and institutionalised nature of the US-Japan cybersecurity relationship, which has grown in scope alongside rising concerns about state-sponsored cyber operations in the region.