The Defense Ministry is considering using commercial cloud services to manage highly classified information, such as defense secrets, that has so far been handled through its own systems, according to informed sources.
The plan is aimed at enabling the integrated use of growing amounts of data and accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence, the sources said Saturday.
In its budget request for fiscal 2027, the ministry is set to earmark funds necessary for preparations to shift its management of confidential data to private-sector cloud services.
The shift toward cloud computing is driven by rapid changes in the nature of the battlefield.
In Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the use of AI to analyze vast amounts of data obtained from drones and satellites has spread, allowing the information to be promptly reflected in operations.
“In order to maintain deterrence, it is essential to develop infrastructure that can respond to new ways of fighting,” a ministry official said.
The ministry and the Self-Defense Forces have so far used their own systems to manage confidential information related to the command of units and information sharing with foreign countries.
The shift to cloud services, which use external computers, allows flexible expansion of computing power and storage capacity and enables cross-domain integration and analysis of data, which is rapidly increasing due to the spread of satellites and drones, the sources said.
The shift is expected to make it easier to incorporate advanced commercial AI systems and support faster decision-making.
A crucial challenge, however, is ensuring security while relying on external infrastructure, analysts said.
Until now, the principle has been not to handle highly classified information using cloud services, and no government-wide standards have been established to accommodate their use.
Furthermore, the cloud services capable of meeting the ministry’s performance requirements are currently limited, in practice, to those provided by major U.S. technology companies.
While their technical security capabilities are highly regarded, using foreign-operated infrastructure raises questions over how far Japan can maintain control over its classified information. To address the concerns, the government’s National Cybersecurity Office plans to establish standards within fiscal 2026 to ensure the security and control of classified information.
These standards will specify requirements regarding data storage locations, personnel with management authority and access control.
The standards will apply not only to the ministry but also to other government agencies handling classified information.