Bonus: Brandon Karpf talking about "⁠Japan’s space systems face growing cybersecurity threats.⁠"

Summary

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Podcast Summary: T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing

Bonus Episode – Brandon Karpf on "Japan’s Space Systems Face Growing Cybersecurity Threats"

Date: May 14, 2026
Host: Dave Bittner (guest host, from Cyberwire Daily)
Guest: Brandon Karpf, Leader of International Public-Private Partnerships, NTT

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Episode Overview

This bonus episode takes a deep dive into Japan’s current challenges and evolving efforts to secure its space systems against growing cybersecurity threats. Guest Brandon Karpf, an expert in international cybersecurity partnerships, discusses how Japan is responding to global cyber risks, the government’s increased emphasis on space and cyber as strategic priorities, and the nation’s growing international collaboration. The conversation contextualizes Japan’s actions within broader issues of cyber resilience, asymmetric threats, and interconnected infrastructure.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Japan’s Evolving Cybersecurity Posture (01:58–02:45)

• Context: Driven by Prime Minister Takeichi’s strategy, Japan is prioritizing investment in space and cyber sectors for 2025–2026.
• Insight: Japan is moving from a historically insular and less assertive cybersecurity stance to a more proactive role.
  • Quote:

    “This is part of a larger story around cybersecurity in Japan, where Japan is actively growing their investment and their capability in countering some of the most significant cyber threats around the world.”
    —Brandon Karpf [02:11]

• Recent Steps: Japan is increasing budgets and resources for countering cyber threats, reflecting a change under new political leadership.

2. Japan Playing Catch-Up, Now Leaning Forward (02:45–03:20)

• Challenge: Japan’s advanced technology sector hasn’t always matched its cyber defense posture.
• Recent Change: Under Takeichi, Japan has become more direct and engaged internationally in matters of cybersecurity and national security.
  • Quote:

    “They have made tremendous strides forward in being more aggressive, more direct, and building their own relationships around the world... certainly taking more of a leadership position.”
    —Brandon Karpf [02:47]

3. JAXA Breaches & Response: Standards, Legislation, and Investment (03:29–04:53)

• Incidents: JAXA (Japan’s NASA equivalent) suffered two significant cyber breaches in recent history.
• Systemic Threats: Japan recognizes the risk to critical infrastructure, partly inspired by Ukraine’s Viasat attack.
• Unified Standards and New Laws:
  • Universal cybersecurity standards being instituted.
  • Notably, the Active Cyber Defense Law (May 2025), gives Japan more latitude for “active cyber defense” (offensive cyber operations) in critical sectors.
  • Nearly ¥60 billion is projected for space security via a new Space Strategy Fund.
    • Main Goals: Modernize architectures, develop domestic talent, provide training and resources to build cyber resilience.
    • Quote:

      “This recent announcement about the space sector... almost 60 billion this coming year... is specifically around kind of modernizing these architectures and trying to bring in not just the technology, but actually the talent and the training and the resources to build up their domestic capability.”
      —Brandon Karpf [04:36]

4. Asymmetry in Cyber-Defending Space Systems (05:04–06:33)

• Classic View: Offense has typically outpaced defense in cyberspace.
• AI’s Role: AI might help level the offensive-defensive balance, reducing asymmetry (though this is a broader debate).
  • Quote:

    “It does exist, that’s kind of a classic view on the security paradigm. I think what’s more interesting here is the recognition that national critical infrastructure…relies on other pieces of infrastructure…There is no isolated, siloed piece of critical infrastructure.”
    —Brandon Karpf [05:36]

• Interdependency: Space systems are interconnected with energy, telecommunications, transportation, etc.—vulnerabilities in one affect all.

5. International Collaboration and Public-Private Partnerships (06:55–08:28)

• Policy Pillars: The Active Cyber Defense Act emphasizes public-private and international collaboration.
  • Quote:

    “Very intentionally including investment and resources in collaborating not just with public private, internal to Japan, but actually internationally.”
    —Brandon Karpf [07:07]

• Concrete Steps:
  • Japan’s 2024 launch of a national Space ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center) to foster cooperation.
  • Japan participating in multilateral military exercises (e.g., in the Philippines with U.S., UK, France, Australia)—marking a significant move toward international engagement.
    • Quote:

      “Japan has been an active participant in a military exercise in the Philippines... testing not just offensive military equipment, but communications and intelligence processes... shown that Japan is taking more of an active leadership role, especially in the Western Pacific region.”
      —Brandon Karpf [08:07]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Japan’s shift in posture:

  “I think they have been a little bit behind, a little bit isolated and not leaning as forward as they can… they have made tremendous strides forward in being more aggressive, more direct, and building their own relationships.”
  —Brandon Karpf [02:47]

• On interconnected critical infrastructure:

  “There is no isolated siloed piece of critical infrastructure, and we can't allow one domain to lose investment or to be insecure.”
  —Brandon Karpf [05:27]

• On new laws empowering defense:

  “They passed what's called the Active Cyber Defense law, which enables them to take more... active cyber defense against adversaries in critical sectors.”
  —Brandon Karpf [04:05]

• On international engagement:

  “Working alongside the US, the Philippines, the French, the Australians in a multilateral exercise... has kind of shown that Japan is taking more of an active leadership role, especially in the Western Pacific region.”
  —Brandon Karpf [08:11]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:33 – Introduction of Brandon Karpf and episode’s main theme
• 02:11 – Overview of Japan’s new focus on space/cybersecurity
• 03:29 – JAXA breaches and legislative response
• 04:53 – Discussion of asymmetric threats in space security
• 06:55 – International collaboration and Active Cyber Defense Act
• 08:07 – Japan’s participation in multilateral military exercises

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Episode Takeaways

• Japan’s government is actively addressing growing threats to its space systems, elevating both budget and policy profile of space/cybersecurity.
• New laws like the Active Cyber Defense Law empower Japan to respond more proactively.
• The interconnectedness of infrastructure (space, energy, telecommunications) heightens risk and requires a holistic security approach.
• Japan is substantially increasing international cybersecurity cooperation, including both private sector and military exercises.
• Leadership changes and recent international incidents have catalyzed a marked shift toward more assertive, outward-looking cyber defense strategy in Japan.

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Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the Cyberwire Network powered by N2K.

[B]

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[A]

Hello, Maria Ramazas here. For today on T minus, we're bringing you a special conversation from my N2K colleague Dave Bittner, host of the Cyberwire Daily. While we often cover matters of space and space cybersecurity here from a very United States centric lens, David, pardon us for doing so as that is where we are all based. After all, we are changing it up. Today. Dave's conversation with friend of the show and space cybersecurity expert Brandon Karp is taking a deep dive into current challenges and future opportunities for the cybersecurity of space systems in Japan. Here's their chat.

[C]

It is always my pleasure to welcome back to the studio Brandon Karp. He is the leader of international public private partnerships at ntt. Brandon, welcome back.

[D]

Thanks, Dave. Always good to be on with you.

[C]

Yeah. I saw an article in Japan Times that was about Japan's space systems facing growing cybersecurity threats. And obviously your employer NTT is out of Japan.

[D]

Sure.

[C]

I'm interested in your take on this. Can we start off with some high level stuff here? I mean, where does Japan stand when it comes to how they're dealing with the challenge of security in space?

[D]

Yeah. So overall, this story which really came from Prime Minister Takeichi's growth strategy where they at the end of 2025 and into 2026 have named space and cyber among a few of their priority sectors for investment over the coming years and their budgets. This is part in this story about space security is part of a larger story around cybersecurity in Japan where Japan is actively growing their investment and their capability in countering some of the most significant cyber threats around the world.

[C]

Have they been behind?

[D]

I think they have been a little bit, they've been a little bit isolated and not leaning as forward as they can or as their technology sector and capabilities would allow them to. And one of the notable things under the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Takeichi is really just in the last year they have made tremendous strides forward in being more Aggressive, more direct, and building their own relationships around the world, not just with cybersecurity, but with national security and defense, certainly taking kind of a more of a leadership position.

[C]

My understanding is that Japan has implemented unified cybersecurity standards. How does that apply specifically to space systems?

[D]

Yeah, so Japan, kind of broadly speaking, and again, especially with this administration, has recognized that space and critical infrastructure are active targets. For example, JAXA has been breached. Jaxa, being their version of NASA, has been breached twice in recent history with major cyber intrusions. And then observing what occurred in the early days of Ukraine with the viasat attack, Japan's kind of recognized that their core critical infrastructure is held at threat and is trying to make inroads in addressing that. They're doing that through a few different ways. One, as you mentioned, kind of universal standardization, but also laws. So in May of last year, they passed what's called the Active Cyber Defense law, which enables them to take more, what we would call in this country more offensive, but they're calling active cyber defense against adversaries in critical sectors. And so this recent announcement about the space sector and the risks of space sector, but also the investment, it's looking like about almost 60 billion this coming year. That the Japanese government's going to invest in space security using a space strategy Fund, is specifically around kind of modernizing these architectures and trying to bring in not just the technology, but actually the talent and the training and the resources to build up their domestic capability.

[C]

Can we touch on the perceived asymmetry here? I mean, cybersecurity, you often hear it described as being asymmetric. Does that apply in the context of space systems as well?

[D]

It does. I think that that idea of kind of the offense, defense balance, the asymmetry between the two is probably kind of changing as these AI threats kind of move into the market. I actually think that it might. This is another podcast, but it might level the playing field a little bit. So this asymmetry, it does exist. You know, that's kind of a classic view on the security paradigm. I think what's more interesting here is the recognition that national critical infrastructure in Japan, this is true in the US as well, relies on other pieces of infrastructure. So the water treatment facilities rely on energy and rely on space, communications rely on telecommunications and all of those vice versa, that there is no isolated siloed piece of critical infrastructure, and that we can't allow one domain to lose investment or to be insecure. And so we actually need to invest in all of them simultaneously and think about how they interconnect. Think about how the vulnerabilities in space, communications and satellite infrastructure and ground stations might actually affect the security of the energy infrastructure or the port infrastructure or the transportation infrastructure. And recognizing that these systems are actually just like the Internet itself, interconnected, Japan

[C]

launched a space ISAC back in 2024, and they're signaling that perhaps they want to engage more in international cooperation. Are you tracking that trend as well? Does it seem like to what degree is Japan being insular and to what part are they actively seeking out collaboration globally?

[D]

Yeah. So that the same act that was passed last May called the Active Cyber Defense act, actually has three pillars. One of them is the one that I mentioned, kind of reaching out and touching the bad guys. But another pillar, one of the three pillars is actually titled Public Private Partnerships or Public Private Collaboration. And so very intentionally including investment and resources in collaborating not just with public private, internal to Japan, but actually internationally. This is something that I do in my role with NTT is work very closely with members of the Japanese government and their cybersecurity office building relationships between them and foreign nations and foreign partners in the US The UK Et cetera. So there is active investment. And another example I'll give of Japan's kind of shifting perspective under Prime Minister Takeichi is just starting a few weeks ago and going through the coming weeks. Japan has been an active participant in a military exercise in the Philippines. This is the first time that's happened where Japan forces have been on the ground in the Philippines working alongside the U.S. the Philippines, the French, the Australians in a multilateral exercise, testing not just offensive military equipment, but communications and intelligence processes, et cetera. And so this has kind of shown that Japan is taking more of an active leadership role, especially in the Western Pacific region along these pathways.

[C]

Brandon Karp is leader of International Public Private Partnerships at ntt. Brandon, thanks so much for joining us.

[D]

Thank you, Dave.

[A]

Thanks for listening to T Minus. I am your host, Maria Varmazes. The show is produced by Ethan Cook and Liz Stokes. We are mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ivan with content strategy by Mayan Plout. Peter Kilpe is our publisher. Thanks for listening. We'll see you Sunday.

[D]

T minus.