October 3, 2025 Holding the Cybersecurity Training and Exercise Program for Pacific Island Countries and Territories (First Session of FY 2025)

　From September 27 (Sat.) to October 2 (Thu.), 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) conducted the first cybersecurity training and exercise program for Pacific Island countries and territories in the FY 2025 in Fiji.
　The MIC also plans to hold a second exercise this fiscal year, and it will continue to contribute to cybersecurity capacity-building in Pacific Island countries and territories by providing exercise programs tailored to the current situation and needs of the region.

1. Background and Outline

　Given that cyberspace is a domain used across national borders, ensuring its security requires strengthening international cooperation. From the perspective of reducing cybersecurity risks for Japan and the international community as a whole, it is important to support capacity building in developing countries through developing international human resources.
　As part of the government’s efforts to realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP),” the MIC has been, since FY 2023, conducting cybersecurity training and exercise programs for government officials engaged in cybersecurity measures, as well as employees of telecommunications carriers and other critical infrastructure operators in Pacific Island countries and territories. These regions are both advancing in digital infrastructure and socioeconomic digitalization, and they occupy a geographically important position.
　In FY 2025, from September 27 (Sat.) to October 2 (Thu.), a program was carried out in Fiji, consisting of training aimed at acquiring basic cybersecurity knowledge and a cybersecurity training and exercise program utilizing Japan’s practical cyber defense exercise (CYDER). * A total of 31 participants from 14 Pacific Island countries and territories took part.
　Moving forward, the results of this exercise will be reflected in the second exercise scheduled for later in FY 2025. The MIC will continue to contribute to cybersecurity capacity building by providing exercise programs tailored to the current situation and needs of Pacific island countries and territories.

(*) CYDER (Cyber Defense Exercise with Recurrence) is a hands-on, practical cyber defense exercise conducted by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan for information systems personnel in national administrative agencies, local governments, independent administrative institutions, and critical infrastructure providers.

2. Event Overview

Date	September 27 (Sat.)–October 2 (Thu.), 2025
Location	Fiji
Participants	Government officials and critical infrastructure providers related to ICT and telecommunications from Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Isrands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
Organizer	MIC
Cooperation	Government of Fiji, U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Embassy of Japan in Fiji