The 178th International Training Course on Criminal Justice (Online)“Cybercrime and Digital Evidence”
1.

Duration and ParticipantsFrom 14 June to 7 July 2022
29 overseas participants from 14 jurisdictions

2. Programme Overview
Criminals abuse newest cyber technologies and leave digital footprints at allstages of their activities. Digital evidence crosses borders so easily that investigationand prosecution have become even more challenging. This programme provided
criminal justice authorities with knowledge and expertise to tackle all crimes thatinvolve digital evidence. Particular focus was placed on (1) finding, preserving,collecting, analysing and utilizing digital evidence and (2) international cooperation
regarding investigation of cybercrime and all other crimes that involve digital
evidence.
This programme was exclusively conducted online due to the Covid-19
pandemic.
3. The Content of the Programme(1) Lectures
Since the participants needed to continue their professional and family duties during
the programme, the lectures were recorded in advance and broadcast on-demand for theirconvenience, followed by live Q & A sessions with the lecturers. UNAFEI facultymembers gave on-demand lectures on the “Criminal Justice System in Japan”, “Theoverview of Rules of Evidence in Japan” and “Legal Developments Related to Digital
Evidence in Japan”. The visiting experts from overseas and Japanese experts also gave
informative lectures:
Visiting Experts• Ms. Lina Aksu
Judicial Cooperation Officer
Eurojust, SIRIUS Project Team
“Challenges investigating cybercrime and gathering cross-border digitalevidence”

• Dr. Thomas DoughertyInternational Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property
Attorney for Central, Southern and Eastern EuropeU.S. Department of Justice“Effective Use of Digital Evidence in Anti-Corruption Investigations andProsecutions”
 Ad hoc lecturer• Mr. YAMAZAKI Takayuki
Deputy Director, Traffic Planning Division, Traffic Bureau
National Police Agency“Tackling Cybercrime at INTERPOL”• Mr. WATANABE Kazuhiko

Assistant Director, Cyber Policy Planning Division
Cybercrime Affairs Bureau, National Police Agency“Cybercrime Realities and Countermeasures”• Mr. HARASHIMA Ichiro

Public Prosecutor
Criminal Affairs Department, Osaka District Public Prosecutors’ Office“Practical Operations on Electronic Evidence, etc.”(2) Group Work
Participants were divided into four groups based on time zones and the themes of
their choice for the Individual Presentations sessions and discussions.
 Individual Presentations
Participants shared the practices and the challenges in their respective
jurisdictions regarding the theme of the Programme through their individualpresentations. All the presentations were recorded and uploaded online forreference by participants in other groups or those who could not attend thesessions.
 Discussions
Participants had fruitful discussions on the themes of the Programme: (i) finding,preserving, collecting, analysing and utilizing digital evidence and (ii)

international cooperation regarding investigation of cybercrime and all othercrimes that involve digital evidence.
• Finding, preserving, collecting, analysing and utilizing digital evidenceFirst, common issues mainly discussed were “capacity building of criminal
justice practitioners dealing with digital evidence”, considering that there weredifferences in the legal systems and procedures for the handing of digital
evidence in each country. The participants, based on the actual situation in theirrespective countries, exchanged opinions on the “necessity of acquiring
specialized knowledge” and “enhancement of digital forensic technology andequipment”. Proposals were made regarding the need for public relations andawareness-raising activities as part of measures against cybercrime, and many
pointed out the importance of public-private partnerships for that purpose.
• International cooperation regarding investigation of cybercrime and allother crimes that involve digital evidence
Regarding international cooperation, the general issues are the delay inresponding to requests for mutual legal assistance in investigations, thecomplexity of procedures, and the small number of member countries of theBudapest Convention. As measures to promote international cooperation, theparticipants were in favour of promoting informal information exchanges,
recognizing the necessity of collecting and analysing digital evidence incollaboration with law enforcement agencies in other countries.
(3) Action Plans
Each group concluded the programme by presenting their own action plans basedon the challenges they identified and what they learned in the lectures, presentations
by the colleagues and discussions.
4. Feedback from the Participants
Almost all participants commented that they would have preferred face-toface training in Japan; however, various lectures and discussions were enriched andinformative knowledge and practices were exchanged during the online course.
5. Comments from the Programming Officer
The theme of “Cybercrime and Digital Evidence” is an issue that all countries
are interested in, and I felt the enthusiasm of each participant in the course.
Information and communication technology is advancing day by day, and newtypes of cybercrime are appearing one after another. In this regard, effective
countermeasures against them have become an urgent issue in each country. For
this reason, as each lecture contained cutting-edge knowledge and practicalexperiences, including contents that were difficult for participants to obtain in theirown countries, the participants were highly interested, which led to active
discussions. We hope that the knowledge gained from this course will be utilized
in the development and enhancement of each participant’s jurisdiction.