Beijing’s commerce ministry announced that China is now banning exports of dual-use items to Japan that could be adapted for military purposes. The move is the latest response to comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November.
The ban covers goods, software, and technologies with both civilian and military applications, including certain rare earth elements critical to the manufacture of drones and semiconductors. Exports of these items are now prohibited if destined for Japanese military entities or any purposes contributing to Japan’s defense capabilities, the ministry said.
Japan’s foreign ministry issued a strong protest, demanding that China reverse the measures. Tokyo described the restrictions as “absolutely unacceptable and deeply regrettable,” asserting that the controls target only Japan and stray “significantly from international practice.”
Recent months have seen a marked decline in China-Japanese relations. Prime Minister Takaichi’s assertion regarding Taiwan, which the Chinese government insisted be retracted, triggered a succession of retaliatory actions by Beijing.
These countermeasures include discouraging Chinese citizens from traveling to Japan, halting imports of Japanese seafood, canceling bilateral meetings and cultural exchanges, and now, the dual-use export ban.
According to state-run China Daily, citing sources familiar with the matter, Beijing is also weighing further restrictions, potentially tightening license reviews for all rare earth exports to Japan.
