PQShield has announced its membership of Japanese Cyber Research Consortium

As Japan ramps up its defenses against the looming threat of quantum-enabled cyber attacks, a pioneering project is underway to implement post-quantum cryptography (PQC) across the country’s technology supply chain. This initiative is led by the Cyber Research Consortium (CRC) and backed by a grant from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). It aims to enhance Japan’s situational awareness, bolster its cybersecurity infrastructure, and establish robust PQC standards.

PQShield, a leading PQC company, has been named a supporting member of the CRC and will play a key role in designing and delivering new PQC primitives and protocols and contributing to the global development of PQC standards. With the publication of NIST’s finalized PQC standards in 2024, this project marks a crucial step towards safeguarding Japan’s critical infrastructure from future quantum threats, and its outcomes are expected to have far-reaching implications for the global technology landscape.

Introduction to Post-Quantum Cryptography and Japan’s NEDO Program

Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) refers to the development of cryptographic techniques. These techniques can withstand attacks from quantum computers. Quantum computers are expected to be capable of breaking many currently used encryption algorithms. Various organizations and governments worldwide are investing in PQC research and implementation in response to this potential threat. One such initiative is the program launched by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), aimed at enhancing Japan’s defenses against cyber attacks and establishing a common cybersecurity infrastructure.

As part of this effort, PQShield, a company specializing in post-quantum cryptography, has been named a supporting member of the Cyber Research Consortium (CRC), which receives funding from NEDO. The CRC is tasked with designing and delivering new PQC primitives and protocols across Japan, as well as conducting research and development towards the ongoing global development of PQC standards. This collaboration marks an essential step in implementing post-quantum cryptography in Japan and contributes to the worldwide effort to establish robust standards for PQC.

The publication of NIST‘s finalized PQC standards in August 2024 provided a defined route for businesses, governments, and organizations to follow in implementing quantum-resistant cryptography. The standards outline specific requirements and guidelines for the development and deployment of PQC algorithms, which are essential for securing critical infrastructure against potential quantum computer attacks. Japan’s NEDO program, in collaboration with PQShield and other partners, aims to play a significant role in this global effort by developing and standardizing new PQC protocols that can be widely adopted.

Collaboration and Standardization Efforts

PQShield is working closely with various partners, including AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology), to design and standardize new PQC protocols. These efforts are crucial for ensuring that non-PQC protocols can be updated to align with NIST’s latest standards, thereby enhancing the security and functionality of the technology supply chain across Japan and globally. The collaboration involves multiple stakeholders from academia, industry, and government, highlighting the importance of a coordinated approach in addressing the quantum threat.

The projects undertaken by PQShield as part of the CRC include designing PQC primitives and constructing new protocols to ensure compatibility with NIST’s standards. All results from these projects will be published in academic papers, contributing to the body of knowledge in the field of post-quantum cryptography. Furthermore, the primitives designed by PQShield will be submitted to NIST’s standardization call for multi-party threshold cryptography, and the protocols constructed with AIST will be shared with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to become public Request for Comments (RFCs).

Implementation and Future Plans

The implementation of post-quantum cryptography across Japan is expected to have a significant impact on the country’s cybersecurity posture. By working directly with NEDO and the government of Japan, PQShield aims to enhance the functionality and security of the technology supply chain, not only in Japan but also globally. The company already has a strong presence in Japan, with partners including Mirise Technologies, Sumitomo Electric, and NTT Data Group Corporation. The NEDO grant supports the expansion of PQShield’s local team and its growing presence in the market.

The project with the CRC and NEDO is scheduled to run from 2024 to 2026, with the final standardization documents to be delivered in 2026. This timeline underscores the urgency and importance of developing and implementing post-quantum cryptography solutions to protect against future cyber threats. Through this collaborative effort, Japan is taking a proactive approach to securing its critical infrastructure and contributing to global cybersecurity efforts.

Dr Ali El Kaafarani, founder and CEO of PQShield, said: “Securing critical infrastructure from quantum computers requires strong collaboration between governments, universities and the private sector, and this project is an ambitious and necessary step to protect against the quantum threat. Japan is an important market for PQShield and plays a critical role in the global technology supply chain. We are pleased to be working directly with NEDO and the government of Japan to help implement PQC across the country and protect against the cyber threats of the future.”

The full list of participants in this project is:

• FFRI Security Inc
• Preferred Networks Inc
• Fujitsu
• NTT
• Powder Keg Technologies
• Ricerca Security
• Mitsubishi Electronics
• Japan Electronics
• Hitachi
• Toppan
• PQShield
• Secafy
• SCU Inc
• Yokohama National University
• Waseda University
• Keio University
• The University of Tokyo
• AIST
• Iwasaki Gakuen