With the recent rise in incidents of large-scale cyber theft, cyber espionage and even cyber blackmail, no one is shocked when another hacking scandal makes headlines. Our only questions are, "When is the next big one going to happen?" and "Is any of my data involved?"

But an even bigger story is the explosive growth of Internet-connected devices. All the computers and all the cellphones in the world combined now make up a minority of "wired" devices, and that trend is still picking up speed.

What does that mean? On a practical level, it means that within just a few years, most cars, trucks, medical devices, household appliances, pets, livestock, and much more will be connected to a vast, unseen cyber network spanning the globe, the Internet of Things (IoT).

In the most sensational terms, it means that matters such as the recently reported vulnerability of automobiles will become even more of a threat. The potential for misuse or abuse of the enormously complex wired universe in which we will all be living by 2020 is unquestionably a frightening topic. The massive growth of cyber connection will demand a high level of globally coordinated cyber security, and without that, we will almost surely see an inexorable growth in cybercrime and perhaps even cyber terrorism.

Several international conferences have attempted to address these concerns, but it has been a significant challenge to bring together all the necessary parties in one venue to discuss issues, strategy and policy in a results-driven environment. Seeing the critical need to move the global discussion forward, the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan has decided to sponsor a unique international event, the Cyber3 Conference Okinawa 2015, subtitled "Crafting Security in a Less Secure World."

On November 7 and 8, hundreds of the top brains in various related cyber fields will gather at a venue in Okinawa that was formerly used for a G8 Summit to discuss the best ways to deal with the key "Cyber3" issues: Cyber Connection, Cyber Security, and Cybercrime.

There will be dozens of high-ranking speakers, but principal among them will be Toshiyuki Shiga, Vice-Chairman of Nissan Motor Corp., Admiral Dennis Blair, Former Director of National Intelligence (US), and Noboru Nakatani, Executive Director of INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation.

Contact (for general inquiries):

Ms. Yukiko Hando/Ms. Makiko Kitaoka

Cyber3 Conference Administration Office:

info@cyber3conf-okinawa2015.jp

Official Website: