"It is vital for public and private sectors to work together to defeat the increasingly malicious and sophisticated methods used by cybercriminals," said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft. "This technical cooperation agreement with the NPA represents a significant step in the fight against cybercrime."
The High-Tech Crime Technology Division (formerly known as the Technology Measures Division) was established in April, 1999 to carry out information technology-related analysis aimed at fighting crime. Its focus is on cyberforensic analysis, Internet security situation analysis, and the provision of secure communications within law enforcement agencies.
"As information and communication technologies evolve, so does the threat posed by cybercrime, and the sophistication of the tactics used by cybercriminals," said Shinju Tezuka, director of the High-Tech Crime Technology Division. "The technical cooperation agreement with Microsoft will enable us to create a strong alliance with a focus on cybercrime prevention throughout Japan."
Under this agreement, Microsoft will partner with the Japan NPA in the following areas:
- Sharing technical information. Microsoft will provide the NPA with product information necessary to support its law enforcement and technical information measures on security.
- Hot line. Microsoft will establish hot line support to provide technical information required by the NPA.
- Technical training. Microsoft will facilitate any technical training required by the NPA to support its information security and anti-cybercrime efforts.