Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has introduced an extensive new set of operational technology (OT) security guidelines to bolster cybersecurity in semiconductor factories — a sector vital to both economic and national security.
The 130-page document, published in Japanese and English, provides in-depth best practices for safeguarding semiconductor manufacturing systems from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Although primarily designed for Japanese chipmakers, the guidance carries global significance as it draws from both Japan’s Cyber/Physical Security Framework (CPSF) and the internationally recognized NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0.
Notably, the United States’ National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is also developing a semiconductor-specific version of CSF 2.0, signaling a growing international effort to standardize cybersecurity strategies across the semiconductor industry.
The release of METI’s report comes as semiconductor companies around the world face escalating attacks from financially motivated cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors, particularly groups linked to North Korea and China. Given the chip industry’s central role in global technology supply chains, Japan’s ministry emphasized that strengthening OT security has become a matter of both industrial resilience and national defense.
According to METI, “Given the economic and national security importance of the semiconductor industry and the rising sophistication of cyber threats, it is imperative to implement and strengthen security measures, including countermeasures against advanced attacks.”
The guidance includes detailed reference architectures for semiconductor manufacturing environments, outlining security risks across factory networks, production systems, and supply chain processes. It also provides a comprehensive roadmap of preventive and responsive measures — covering asset management, vulnerability assessment, damage minimization, real-time monitoring, incident response and recovery, as well as stricter physical and logical access controls.
In addition to the full 130-page guide, METI has published a 23-page executive summary aimed at offering policymakers and executives a concise version of the recommendations. Both documents are available as free PDF downloads from the ministry’s official website.
