China Expands Export Bans on Japan Firms

China has placed a further 20 Japanese companies on an export control list, barring them from receiving Chinese goods with both civilian and military applications, in a move set to heighten tensions between the two countries.

China’s Commerce Ministry said on Monday the measure affects Japan’s National Institute for Defence Studies and subsidiaries of Mitsubishi Electric, among others. The companies are no longer permitted to import dual-use items from China.

The ministry said the targeted firms were involved in strengthening Japan’s military, arguing that the restrictions were needed to safeguard China’s national security and meet international obligations.

The controls also apply to foreign companies or individuals seeking to supply Chinese dual-use goods to the listed entities.

In February, China imposed similar bans on 40 Japanese companies in the aerospace and defence sectors.

The move increases pressure on the Japanese government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.  Tensions have risen following Takaichi’s remarks in parliament in November that a Chinese attack on the independently governed island of Taiwan would pose an “existential threat” to Japan and could trigger a military response.

Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory, later issued a travel warning for Japan and accused Takaichi of accelerating military build-up.

Takaichi seeks to revise Article 9 of Japan’s constitution, which has remained unchanged since 1947 and imposes strict limits on the country’s security policy.

Under the article, Japan renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. Known as a security hardliner, Takaichi also supports closer ties with Japan’s security ally, the United States.