Japan Cyber Defense

What Japan Cyber Defense does

Nihon Cyber Defence Co., Ltd. (NCD) is a Tokyo-headquartered, privately held cybersecurity company founded on October 11, 2017 by Cartan McLaughlin, a 30-year veteran of Japan's financial technology and cybersecurity sectors. The company protects critical national infrastructure operators, government entities, large enterprises, and SMEs in Japan and selected international markets from state-sponsored and criminal cyber threats. NCD combines US- and UK-derived cyber expertise with a Japan-market go-to-market and is the first Japanese firm certified by the UK NCSC for Cyber Incident Response (Standard Level) and CIE Assured Service Provider, and is ISO 27001 certified in both Japan and the UK.

The company's product portfolio centers on NCD SIEM, a proprietary Security Information and Event Management platform that detects threats at stages 4-5 of the MITRE ATT&CK Matrix and uses node-based rather than events-per-second licensing. This is complemented by four service pillars: Cyber Security Consultancy (Virtual CISO, risk assessment, compliance), Protective Services (penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, red team, incident response planning), Network Monitoring and Security Operations (24/7 global SOC), and Incident Management (24x7x365 response and recovery retainers). NCD integrates complementary technology from partners including Fivecast (OSINT), Netcraft (phishing takedown), and Netwrix (data security).

NCD operates from eight offices across Japan, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Malaysia, India, and Ukraine, with approximately 50 employees. Revenue is generated through custom-priced annual subscriptions and retainers sold via a direct enterprise field sales motion. The advisory board includes former heads of GCHQ, NSA, NCSC, and the Japan, UK, US, Australian, Taiwanese, and Ukrainian defense establishments, which is the central differentiator in competitive CNI and government deals.

Name

Japan Cyber Defense

Legal name

Nihon Cyber Defence Co., Ltd.

Website

https://nihoncyberdefence.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nihon Cyber Defence is a Tokyo-headquartered cybersecurity firm that delivers SIEM, 24/7 SOC monitoring, incident response, and advisory services to critical national infrastructure, government, and large enterprises in Japan and globally. It pairs proprietary NCD SIEM technology with a uniquely credentialed advisory bench of former GCHQ, NSA, NCSC, and Japan Self-Defense Force leaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Services

NAICS

Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621), Security Systems Services (56162), Other Computer Related Services (541519), National Security (928110)

SIC

Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

OT Threat Detection & Monitoring (NDR/IDS for ICS) (HDADAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

OT/ICS & Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Services (BPAKAHAN), Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) & NERC-CIP Compliance (HDADAJAC), Security Architecture & Engineering Advisory (Zero Trust, IAM, Network) (BPAKADAF)

Keywords

• Managed security services
• Incident response
• Security operations centre
• Threat intelligence
• Cybersecurity consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cyber Security Consultancy: Professional advisory services including Virtual CISO, security frameworks, risk assessments, and compliance consulting delivered by experts from government agencies, law enforcement, and industry.
2. NCD SIEM Subscription: Security Information and Event Management solution with flexible licensing based on number of nodes (not events per second), reducing cost while improving incident response.
3. Security Operations Monitoring: Continuous network monitoring and security operations centre services delivered 24/7, providing early detection, rapid containment, and visibility of attacker access.
4. Incident Management Retainers: Flexible retainer options ensuring prepared response capability for malicious attacks, tailored to organizational requirements with early remediation and mitigation support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nihon Cyber Defence delivers end-to-end cybersecurity services and technology to protect organizations against cyberattacks. Its core offering is the proprietary NCD SIEM platform for advanced security event monitoring and threat detection, complemented by four service pillars: Cyber Security Consultancy (Virtual CISO, frameworks, risk assessment), Protective Services (penetration testing, training, incident response planning), 24/7 Network Monitoring and Security Operations, and Incident Management response and recovery.

Product overview

Nihon Cyber Defence (NCD) offers a comprehensive cybersecurity portfolio consisting of NCD SIEM as the core technical product, complemented by four primary service pillars: Cyber Security Consultancy (advisory and governance), Protective Services (defense enhancement and testing), Network Monitoring and Security Operations (24/7 SOC monitoring), and Incident Management (response and recovery). The NCD SIEM solution provides advanced security event monitoring and threat detection, while the service offerings provide end-to-end coverage from strategy and prevention through monitoring, incident response, and recovery. All offerings are delivered with support from the company's global offices in Japan, UK, Ireland, Malaysia, India, and USA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NCD SIEM: Security Information and Event Management solution providing advanced security monitoring and threat detection.

Products and services

• NCD SIEM
• Cyber Security Consultancy
• Protective Services
• Network Monitoring and Security Operations
• Incident Management

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 global SOC monitoring ensuring early detection of attacks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• Shizuoka CitystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 December 2025Strategic cooperation to establish Nihon Cyber Shizuoka Centre of Excellence (NCSCOE), announced December 2025, focusing on cybersecurity excellence and regional collaboration.
• FivecastcoreTechnology or IntegrationAI-powered OSINT technology partnership combining Fivecast's advanced data exploration capabilities with NCD's expertise in cyber threat intelligence and Japanese market needs to deliver actionable intelligence for Japanese organizations. Partnership announced January 2025.
• NetcraftcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership for real-time phishing detection and takedown services in Japan. Netcraft's automated digital risk protection platform combines detection, threat intelligence, and disruption to protect organizations and customers from phishing, scams, fraud, and cyber attacks.
• NetwrixcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership providing unified data security and visibility solutions. Netwrix enables security professionals to identify and protect sensitive data, detect attacks, and respond to and recover from security incidents with confidence.
• CyberFirstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK CyberFirst program partnership supporting cybersecurity education and talent development for young people, aligning with NCD's commitment to building the next generation cybersecurity workforce.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CrowdStrike: Global cybersecurity leader combining endpoint protection with SIEM-adjacent Falcon LogScale and Charlotte AI for SOC operations. Directly comparable NDR/SIEM/threat-detection offering against NCD SIEM, competing for the same enterprise budget lines.
• NTT Security (NTT Ltd.): Arm of NTT Group providing global managed security services, SOC, and consulting with strong Japanese enterprise and government footprint. Competes with NCD for Japanese CNI and large-customer MSSP contracts with vastly more resources.
• Trend Micro: Tokyo-headquartered global cybersecurity incumbent offering endpoint, network, and SOC/XDR platforms. Directly comparable as a Japan-rooted provider competing for Japanese CNI and large-enterprise security spend, but vastly larger scale and broader product portfolio than NCD.
• SentinelOne: AI-driven endpoint and SIEM/XDR platform (Singularity + Purple AI) competing with NCD SIEM for modern enterprise security operations stack consolidation deals.
• Palo Alto Networks (Unit 42): Global cybersecurity platform with Unit 42 incident response and managed detection services competing directly with NCD's IR retainer and SOC offerings, with much larger threat intelligence and R&D budgets.

Direct peers

• Cybereason: Originally founded in Israel with strong Japanese presence (Cybereason Japan), offering EDR and incident response services. Comparable as a non-Japanese-roots cybersecurity firm that successfully penetrated the Japanese enterprise and government market.
• Mandiant (Google Cloud): Premier global incident response and threat intelligence firm, now part of Google Cloud. Closest comparable to NCD's incident management retainer business, especially for cross-border CNI and government engagements.
• Secureworks: Global MSSP offering managed detection and response plus incident response services, comparable in size and service-led GTM to NCD's SOC and IR retainer offerings for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• LAC Co., Ltd. Japanese cybersecurity firm specializing in SOC monitoring, incident response, and managed security services primarily for Japanese enterprises and government. Closest domestic peer to NCD in terms of service mix (SOC + IR + consulting) and Japanese CNI/government target market.

Others

• Splunk (Cisco): Category-defining SIEM platform now part of Cisco, competing head-to-head with NCD SIEM in any enterprise looking to standardize on a single SOC analytics platform with global support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInjp.linkedin.com/company/nihon-cyber-defence

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan Cyber Defense