Japan government will ban the use of telecommunications devices manufactured by Chinese giants Huawei and ZTE due to cybersecurity concerns, according to reports on Friday. The decision could be implemented as of Monday, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and the Jiji Press news agency.
Japan Government Will Ban The Use Of Devices made By Huawei And ZTE
The ban comes after the United States asked its allies to avoid products manufactured by the two companies because of fears they are used to carry out cyber attacks, says Yomiuri Shimbun, citing unidentified government sources. Japanese products that use parts manufactured by some of these two Chinese companies will also be excluded from government use.
According to Yomiuri Shimbun, the government does not plan to quote companies directly to avoid China’s anger. Asked about this information, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga refused to comment and said Japan “cooperates closely with the United States” on cybersecurity issues.
Western Countries Turned Against Chinese Tech Companies Huawei and ZTE
This information also comes after the arrest in Canada of Huawei’s top executive, Meng Wanzhou, which angered China and caused sharp falls in international financial markets for fear that tensions between Beijing and Washington would intensify.
US authorities suspect that the Chinese giant Huawei exported, at least since 2016, products of US origin to Iran and other countries targeted by Washington sanctions. The company was already being focused by US intelligence services, which consider it a threat to national security.
Huawei’s affordable smartphones have made a substantial market into the developed world, but the company has faced several setbacks in large Western economies due to security concerns. For its part, ZTE received harsh sanctions from the Trump administration this year for failing to respect the US embargo against Tehran. ZTE had to cease most of its activities, endangering its wellbeing but was able to save itself by paying a $1 billion fine.
