Rome [Italy], June 18 (ANI): A leading Japanese cybersecurity expert has raised alarm over signs of a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, pointing to an uptick in cyberattacks and the severing of undersea communication cables as troubling indicators. The concerns were voiced during a security conference in Rome, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
Mihoko Matsubara, Chief Cybersecurity Strategist at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in Japan, spoke during a panel at the NATO Defence College Foundation conference on Tuesday. She noted that although open warfare has not yet broken out in the Taiwan Strait, cyber warfare is already underway.
Referencing a March 2025 report from Cisco Systems, Matsubara said that state-sponsored groups from China have been targeting critical infrastructure in Taiwan. These operations mirror the tactics and objectives of the known threat actor “Volt Typhoon,” she explained.
According to Matsubara, the ultimate goal of these cyberattacks is “to instigate chaos, disrupt decision-making processes, and hinder or delay the deployment of U.S. forces to the area in the event of conflicts in the Taiwan Strait.” She added, “This is very concerning, and we may already be witnessing a possible precursor to conflict in the region.”
She further noted that Volt Typhoon has infiltrated infrastructure in the United States, India, and Singapore, although there have been no reported incidents involving Japan or Taiwan so far. An additional warning sign is the increasing frequency of undersea cable cuts near the Taiwan Strait. While such incidents can happen anywhere in the world, Matsubara pointed out that these disruptions are happening more often in this strategic area and have intensified this year — a pattern she described as “strange.”
Matsubara called on European nations to pay closer attention to the growing security risks in the Taiwan Strait. She emphasized Taiwan’s central role in the global technology and trade landscape, noting that the island supplies more than 60 percent of the world’s semiconductors and over 90 percent of its most advanced chips. The strait itself is vital to international commerce, facilitating over 20 percent of global trade. Approximately 30,000 European nationals currently reside in Taiwan, further underscoring the region’s global significance, she added.
The high-level conference, titled “Indo-Pacific 2025: Prevention and Dialogue,” is being held in Rome on Tuesday and Wednesday. The event brings together international experts to explore pragmatic strategies for addressing regional tensions, according to the NATO Defence College Foundation. (ANI)
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