An Initiative to Improve the State of Information Security at Local Governments in Japan

This paper describes the current state of information security at local governments in Japan and recommends two approaches in order to come up with a better information security management framework. The Hyogo Prefectural Government, which has been playing a leading role in providing measures for safety and security of Japanese society since the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, is used as a good representative model, and the practicality of the new framework is justified by detailed security risk analyses of the physical systems and surveys. Potential department level security threats are clearly identified and effective countermeasure mechanisms are proposed based on the risk analyses. The paper also shows why it is essential to prepare local government personnel, who are in charge of the system, to understand their system and manage them effectively rather than rely on the services of outsourcing companies.