Cautious with security issues, Japan moves to shut China out of its drone supply chain
Japan may effectively shut down China from supplying drones to its government to safeguard sensitive information, according to six people in government and the ruling party acquainted with the matter, as part of a broad effort to bolster national security.
The primary concerns, those persons said, centered on information technology, supply chains, cyber security and intellectual property - worries which have been rising outside Japan as well.
But Japan must balance such fears - particularly Beijing's growing push to export sensitive technologies such as for example commercial drones and security camera systems - against deep monetary dependence on China.
It must navigate increasingly choppy waters between China and Japan's closest ally, the United States, which reaches odds with Beijing over a lot of things, including technology.
"China is a huge market in fact it is important for Japan," among the senior government officials said. "Alternatively, there are worries that advanced technologies and information could leak to China and may be diverted for military use."
The defense ministry has several hundred drones, including some created by Chinese companies; the coast guard has about 30, and most are Chinese. Both said these were not using Chinese drones for security-related issues. Other government entities also use such drones.
It's unclear whether all would have to be replaced, however the new drones, used for sensitive work such as for example criminal investigation, infrastructure work and emergency rescues, would need to be secured against data leaks and go through stricter vetting procedures, the revamped policy says.
The tightened rules, set to come into effect in April 2021, don't mention any country by name. However the senior government and ruling party sources told Reuters these were created with China in mind.
The initiative includes fresh investment rules for foreigners enacted this past year; ruling party lawmakers are also preparing a proposal on an all-encompassing law to market economic security which will be unveiled this year.
Separately, Japan's National Security Council has create a unit in April to examine how economic matters, such as for example advanced technologies, could affect national security.
Domestic drone makers expect to take advantage of the changes, because they mean government ministries will likely do their drone shopping at home.
A Japanese drone manufacturer, Tokyo Aircraft Instrument Co Ltd, developed a camera drone that can fly in high winds - so that it is ideal for surveying damage after a tragedy - and the company is talking potential applications with the federal government.
"The drone platform, flight-control system and radio communication equipment are domestic-made, in fact it is our unique model predicated on our years of experience in avionics components," said Kazuya Sumida of the business's drone division."We plan to further improve the security of the drone's information and communications functions."
To be certain, government sales make up a small the main nation's drone business market, which stood at 140.9 billion yen($1.35 billion) in the fiscal year to March 2020, up 51% from the previous year, according to Impress Research institute. The marketplace is likely to grow to 642.7 billion yen in the fiscal year to March 2026.
However the aim isn't to boost local drone makers, the measure's backers say - it's to keep Japan secure.
"Japan will keep diplomatic ties with China but we are more carefully react to sensitive technologies and information," said another senior government official.
Analysts say the U.S. can't fully cut off China either because it would hurt the U.S. economy.
"I think allied nations will discuss critical technologies, especially information and technologies that could give military advantage to China," said Tsuneo Watanabe, senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Japan has already reserve around 300 billion yen to diversify its supply chains and reduce reliance on China by bringing production home or locating more in Southeast Asia.
Source: japantoday.com
