Mainichi "Japanese Government to Exclude Chinese-made Drones from Government Use Starting Next Year"

For Information Leak Prevention
"Indirect Sanctions Instead of Mentioning Company Names" Analysis

The photo is not directly related to the article.

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The Japanese government plans to strengthen security inspections of drones starting from the purchasing stage, effectively excluding Chinese-made drones from next year.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun on the 27th, the Japanese government decided to enhance security measures for government-purchased drones starting next year to prevent data collected by drones from leaking externally.

Specifically, it will mandate the purchase of drones equipped with functions to prevent external leakage of flight records and captured photos, as well as information theft through cyberattacks. This applies to government ministries and independent administrative agencies, and when government institutions purchase drones, they must submit a plan to the Cabinet Secretariat for review.

Accordingly, the Mainichi Shimbun predicted that new purchases of Chinese-made drones will be effectively excluded. Previously, in 2018, the Japanese government had effectively excluded products and services from Chinese telecommunications equipment companies Huawei and ZTE (Zhongxing Telecommunications) from purchases by central government ministries. At that time, the Japanese government did not directly mention company names but announced de facto sanctions under regulations stating that "restrictions can be imposed if there are threats to security."

The Mainichi Shimbun analyzed that this time as well, Japan chose to impose restrictions without specifying particular countries or products to avoid diplomatic friction with China.

Meanwhile, Chinese-made drones account for 80% of the global market, including those used by individuals for hobby purposes. The U.S. government banned the use of Chinese-made drones by government agencies last year.