File photo: The Japanese national flag flies in front of the container pier in the Tokyo port.
Toshifumi Kitamura | Afp | Getty Images
China on Monday blacklisted four Japanese government defense research institutes and imposed tighter export restrictions on dozens of other Japanese entities, escalating a months-long campaign to limit Tokyo’s access to Chinese-origin dual-use goods.
The Ministry of Commerce added 20 entities on the export control list and another 20 — including Mitsui E&S Co., drone maker Terra Drone Corporation, nuclear fuel processors, and multiple units of OKI Electric Industry — on a watch list requiring enhanced licensing scrutiny. Both actions take effect immediately.
The authorities would implement “stricter end-user and end-use reviews on exports of dual-use items by entities on the watch list,” the ministry said.
“Exports involving Japanese military users, military uses, and any other end-user uses that contribute to enhancing Japan’s military strength will not be approved,” according to the statement.
In February, China prohibited exports of dual-use items to 20 Japanese entities that Beijing said supplied Japan’s military.
In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for the commerce ministry said Japan had shown no remorse since the February listings and had instead “accelerated” its push toward what Beijing characterizes as “new-style militarism” — including deploying offensive weapons and launching offensive missiles overseas.
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