Japan and France Agree to Closer Ties on Cybercrime

Japanese and French government ministers agreed on Thursday to work more closely on cybercrime.

At a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G8 Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo Shinya Izumi, Japan's Minister of State and head of its National Public Safety Commission, and Alain Marleix, French Minister of State, reaffirmed the importance of the direct of exchange of information between the two governments. Both parties also committed to strengthening cooperation to combat the complex problem of cybercrime, according to a statement from Japan's National Police Agency.

The definition of cybercrime covers a wide range of crimes committed online or with the help of technology. Activities such as child pornography, Internet harassment and participation in copyright crimes through in peer-to-peer networks are all considered to be cybercrimes.

Izumi expressed concern about the role of the Internet in spreading crime and terrorism during a speech earlier in the day at the opening of the meeting.

"Transnational organized crime is being perpetrated on a global scale due to expanding economic and social activities, and the development and spread of information and communication technologies, such as the Internet," he said.

Cybercrime is one of the major issues being discussed by ministers of the G8 nations during the two-day summit in Tokyo, which ends on Friday.