Insider Brief:
- The Japanese government is committed to develop quantum encryption technology by 2030, enlisting companies like Toshiba and NEC with a public-private investment of tens of billions of yen over five years, starting in 2025, to defend against next-generation cyberattacks.
- Quantum encryption, based on photon-based key transfers through fiber optic cables, is theoretically unbreakable, as any attempt to intercept the key alters the photon state and triggers an alert, ensuring highly secure data transmission.
- The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has already launched a quantum test network in Tokyo, linking government agencies and financial institutions. NICT will begin evaluating quantum encryption methods and recruiting companies for research in 2024.
- Despite Japan’s advancements in key generation speed and transmission distance, other countries like China, the EU, and Singapore lead in practical quantum encryption applications, with China having built large-scale quantum communication networks and successfully testing satellite-based encrypted communications.
PRESS RELEASE — The Japanese government will support the development of quantum encryption technology by 2030, enlisting partners potentially including Toshiba and NEC in an effort to defend against the next-generation of cyberattacks, Nikkei has learned. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will provide the assistance to selected quantum encryption developers, with applications set to begin as soon as next year. The effort will involve tens of billions of yen (10 billion yen equals $68 million) in public-private investment over five years starting fiscal 2025.
Japanese and other cybersecurity authorities are in a race against time to prepare for the emergence of quantum computers, which are expected to enter into practical use in 2030. Far faster than today’s supercomputers, they will be able to crack all encryption techniques currently used to safeguard data on the internet, experts warn.
“In the medical field, a secure information management system is required for using human genomic information and clinical data,” said Mikio Fujiwara, director general at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology’s (NICT) quantum research center. “Safeguarding data with home-grown technology is essential.”
Quantum encryption involves the transfer of encrypted data with a key converted into photons through fiber optic cables. Cracking the encryption is theoretically impossible since any attempt to steal data from the key would change the state of the photons and alert the system.
NICT, which is overseen by the internal affairs ministry, will evaluate the quantum encryption methods on a test network. NICT launched the network in Tokyo at the end of 2023, linking government agencies, financial groups and telecommunications firms in the Japanese capital. Next year, NICT will recruit companies to participate in the government research and development project for quantum encryption.
Japanese companies possess world-class technology in terms of key generation speed and transmission distance, according to a report compiled in April by a cabinet panel on quantum technology innovation.
But other countries have taken the lead in researching practical applications for quantum encryption. With the current technology, the encrypted data and key can be transmitted only over few hundred kilometers. Longer distances require ensuring stable conditions all along the line. China has built a secure quantum communication network spanning several thousand kilometers, connecting major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. The country has also successfully tested satellite-based encrypted quantum communication with Russia and Austria. The European Union and Singapore are also moving forward with plans to build encrypted communication networks.
For Japan, “it is essential to ensure a steady development of talent that anticipates the future of quantum communications, including encryption,” said Tomoyuki Horikiri, professor at Yokohama National University.
