Japan’s newly adopted National Defense Program Guidelines envisage improving cyber-defence capabilities, Japan Times reports. According to the guidelines, capabilities include possessing the ability to obstruct the enemy’s use of cyberspace when the nation is under attack; however, such capabilities – which may be used for conducting offensive counter-attacks – may be challenging in light of the Japanese Constitution, which restricts use of force for self-defence to certain conditions. The guidelines also envisage government investments in artificial intelligence applications for defence purposes. The guidelines are set in response to China’s expanding military activities, including its supremacy in the cyber domain, which may endanger Japan’s command and control systems.