The Japanese government may exclude Chinese drones from its government procurement list for security reasons in order to protect Japan’s sensitive information.
This is according to a Reuters report on Friday (Oct. 30) based on information provided by several Japanese government sources and Japanese ruling party sources familiar with the matter.
The sources said the main concerns of the Japanese government are information technology, supply chains, cybersecurity and intellectual property rights. They said that Japan must avoid economic overdependence on China in the face of the country’s increasing efforts to promote the export of sensitive technologies such as commercial drones and security cameras.
In addition, the deteriorating relationship between China and the U.S., with the two countries at odds on many fronts, including science and technology, and the U.S. being Japan’s closest ally, makes Japan’s efforts to find a middle ground between the U.S. and China more difficult, the report said.
According to a senior Japanese government official, “China is a big market, which is important to Japan. On the other hand, there are concerns about advanced technology and information leaking out of China and being converted to military use.”
Japan’s Ministry of Defense has hundreds of drones, some of which are produced by Chinese companies. Japan’s Coast Guard has about 30 drones, most of which are also made in China. Both departments say they do not use Chinese drones for anything related to security. A similar situation exists in other Japanese government departments.
When sensitive government departments such as criminal investigation, infrastructure and emergency rescue need to purchase drones, they must take security precautions to prevent data leaks and must go through a more stringent review process, the report said.
The new regulations will take effect in April of next year. The new regulations don’t name any countries, but sources say those involved in the changes have a clear idea of which countries are being targeted.
It is unclear whether all existing drones will need to be replaced, the report said.
On the other hand, Japan’s National Security Council established a division in April to review the economic impact of advanced technology on national security.
Changes to Japan’s drone procurement regulations are expected to benefit domestic drone manufacturers in Japan. The Japanese government will reduce imports and purchase more domestic products.
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