Japanese Police Determined to Enhance Anti-Cybercrime Capabilities

The recent case in which police has wrongfully arrested four men who were believed to have sent threatening messages on the Internet has made Japanese authorities realize the importance of proper cybercrime-fighting skills.

To solve the case of the online threats – which were actually made by a computer malware whose author was arrested recently – various police organizations from all over Japan had to share virus-related information, Daily Yomiuri reports.

This was the first time when law enforcement collaborated in such a manner.

However, Japan’s National Police Agency is determined to do much more to further enhance its capabilities. They want to publish a cybercrime investigation handbook, and of the 545 new officers expected in the next fiscal year, 272 will be assigned to cybercrime investigations.

In addition, the NPA is considering bringing in specialists from private organizations, but there are some issues. On the one hand, private company workers would have a hard time adapting to the police work environment.

On the other hand, officials fear that the outsiders could leak classified information.