Tokyo, Aug. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency said Monday that it seeks 5,058 million yen for cyberattack countermeasures in its budget request for fiscal 2022.

To tackle the increasing threat of cyberattacks, the agency also asks for funds to set up a cyber bureau and a cyber unit, the agency’s first investigative organization for a specific field.

Of the funds sought for cyberattack countermeasures, 772 million yen will be for increasing staff and procuring equipment for the new cyber unit. In addition, 998 million yen will be used for setting up a system to analyze computer viruses using a cloud platform.

The budget request for the year starting next April also includes 12 million yen to conduct new research into a program targeting stalking perpetrators to prevent repeat offenses.

The agency will also seek 605 million yen for measures to ensure the safety of school routes, in response to a truck crash that killed or injured five elementary school children in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, in June this year.

The agency’s overall general-account budget request for fiscal 2022 fell 11,168 million yen from the previous year to 312,317 million yen.