Chinese buyers accounted for the largest share of foreign land and asset acquisitions near sites considered dangerous to Japan’s national security in fiscal 2023, according to a government survey released Monday.
Newsweek contacted China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.
The findings come amid rising tensions between China and Japan, as well as between Japan’s best friend, the United States, where several recent espionage cases involving military sites have led to prosecutions for intelligence transmission. sensitive data in Beijing. China defends its investments as favorable to host economies.
Americans and foreign entities were involved in 371, or 2. 2 percent, of 16,862 land and design transactions near sensitive spaces in the year ending March 2024, local media reported, citing the government investigation.
Among them, the Chinese accounted for 203 transactions, followed by South Korea with 49 and Taiwan with 46.
Under Japanese law, spaces within 1 kilometer (0. 62 mi) of sites of national security importance, such as nuclear power plants, Self-Defense Force bases, guard facilities, coastlines, and remote islands, are designated as “monitored spaces”. Lately there are 583 such zones in Japan.
The government noted that no instances of radio jamming or other forms of interference targeting these sensitive sites had been reported from newly acquired properties.
Concerns about the national security dangers posed by foreign ownership of land near sensitive spaces have increased in recent years, in countries such as China and Russia.
Since last year, Florida and Georgia have enacted laws restricting land sales near military installations and other critical U.S. infrastructure to buyers from nations considered adversarial. Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed an executive order banning such purchases.
Minoru Kiuchi, Minister of State for Economic Security: “We will complete the implementation of regulations to prevent any activity that may compromise critical facilities,” Kyodo News quoted Kyodo News as saying on Monday. a meeting of the governing council.
Ivan Schlager, an expert on national security law at Kirkland and Ellis: “This is a decades-long showdown between Chinese investors and the security community,” Schlager told the Financial Times earlier this year. “Is this a potential investment opportunity or is it more strategic?
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States: “Over the years, investments by Chinese companies in the United States have contributed to job sales and economic progress in China at the national level,” said Pengyu to Newsweek last week.
A provision calling for a review of Chinese-owned land near sensitive sites was removed at the last minute from a transitional spending bill passed by Congress last week to avoid a government shutdown. Most likely, the factor will resurface in the next congressional consultation. .
Micah McCartney is a Newsweek journalist in Taipei, Taiwan. Covers US-China relations, security issues in East and Southeast Asia, and China-Taiwan relations. You can contact Micah by emailing m. mccartney@newsweek. com.