Cyber: European Union and Japan hold 7th Cyber Dialogue in Brussels

On 28 January 2026, the European Union and Japan held their seventh Cyber Dialogue in Brussels.

Building on the outcomes of the EU-Japan Summit, Security & Defence Dialogue and Strategic Dialogue in 2025, the Cyber Dialogue confirmed the growing scope and depth of EU-Japan cooperation on cyber issues.

During the Cyber Dialogue, the EU and Japan exchanged views on the evolving cyber threat landscape and responses to malicious cyber activities. Both parties provided updates on recent policy and regulatory developments on cybersecurity, including in areas such as emerging and critical technologies, resilience of critical infrastructure, incident reporting, cyber crisis management and cyber defence. More concretely, the EU and Japan explored options for further cooperation on synergies between the Cyber Resilience Act and the Japanese JC-STAR labelling scheme to enhance the resilience of our markets.

Regarding the international dimension, the parties reviewed ongoing cooperation in multilateral and regional fora, in particular with respect to the United Nations Global Mechanism to advance responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. Close cooperation in other international platforms such as ASEAN Regional Forum, G7, the International Counter Ransomware Initiative and the Global Cybersecurity Labelling Initiative was additionally explored.

Finally, the EU and Japan discussed respective approaches to cyber capacity building and assistance to partner countries, with a focus on the Indo Pacific and other regions of mutual interest.

In the margins of the Dialogue, the EU and Japan also held an expert roundtable on diplomatic responses to malicious cyber activities.

The EU and Japan agreed to continue using the Cyber Dialogue as a platform to deepen practical cooperation, share best practices and coordinate positions in multilateral fora. Both sides will continue to work closely together to enhance cyber resilience, by further engaging on protection of critical infrastructure and market access policies. They will also promote responsible state behaviour in cyberspace and support partners in strengthening their cyber capacities.

The next EU Japan Cyber Dialogue will be hosted by Japan in Tokyo in 2027.

On the EU side, the Dialogue was co chaired by Christiane Kirketerp de Viron, Acting Director for Cybersecurity and Trust at the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) and Barbara Gallo, Head of Division for Hybrid Threats and Cyber at the European External Action Service (EEAS). Various Commission’s services and agencies were represented in the Cyber Dialogue. EU Member States representatives did also participate as observers.

On the Japanese side, the Dialogue was co-chaired by Takeomi Yamamoto, Director of the National Security Policy Division of the Foreign Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign affairs, with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Cybersecurity Office, the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, JPCERT/CC and the Mission of Japan to the EU.