“Unbreakable Cryptography”: next-generation “Quantum Cryptography” – to establish a research center

Last month NHK News On-line reported the following:

“解読されない暗号を” 次世代の「量子暗号」 研究拠点整備へ

2020年1月2日 6時31分

インターネットなどの情報通信の安全を守る暗号技術の高度化を目指し、国は、ことし東京都内に「量子暗号」と呼ばれる次世代の暗号通信の研究開発拠点の整備を始めます。

インターネットなどの通信ではさまざまなデータが暗号化されてやりとりされていますが、スーパーコンピューターをはるかに超える「量子コンピューター」が本格的に実用化されると今、使われている暗号は簡単に解読されてしまうおそれがあります。

こうした中、国は、「量子」を使って絶対に解読されない暗号を作る次世代の技術「量子暗号通信」の開発を本格化させることとなり、ことし、東京・小金井市に研究開発の拠点を整備することになりました。

拠点は、およそ54億円かけて整備される予定で量子暗号の技術で暗号化された通信を人工衛星を通じてやり取りできる施設や現在、使われているさまざまな技術と量子暗号を組み合わせて実用化を加速するための研究施設が設けられます。

量子暗号通信をめぐっては欧米や中国などでも開発が加速していますが、新たに設けられる拠点には関連する特許の数が世界の１位と２位を占める東芝やＮＥＣなども参加して、実用化に向けた研究で世界をリードすることを目指すということです。

国の情報通信研究機構の佐々木雅英主管研究員は「日本の優れた技術を世界で使ってもらうため、実用化を急ぐ、重要な年になる」と話しています。

Translation

 With the aim of upgrading the encryption technology that protected the security of information communication such as the Internet, the government this year in Tokyo would begin to develop a research and development base for the next-generation encryption communication called "Quantum encryption".

In communications such as the Internet, various data were exchanged after being encrypted, but when the `` quantum computer '' that was by far superior than the supercomputer was put into full-scale practical use, there was the worry that the ciphers now used could be easily broken.

Under such circumstances, the government would start a full-scale development of the next generation technology of `` Quantum cryptographic communication '' that used `` quantum '' to create encryption that could never be de-crypted, a research and development base at Koganei city in Tokyo would be established this year.

This base would use about 5.4 billion yen to establish. In the planned facilities it was possible to exchange communications encrypted with quantum cryptography through satellites, and for now, to combine various currently used technologies with quantum cryptography and to build research facilities that accelerate their practical usage.

The development of quantum cryptography was accelerating in Europe, the United States, China and elsewhere. However, the newly established base in Japan would include the participation of Toshiba and NEC, which had the world's first and second largest number of related patents to do research on practical applications with an aim to lead the world.

Masahide Sasaki, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology said "in order to have Japan's excellent technology being used in the world, it is an important year to speed up commercialization”.

              So, quantum cryptography will be a new field for competition among leading countries in the world.