Japan to ban Huawei, ZTE from government contracts amid cyberattack fears
- Newspaper report says Tokyo is expected to revise its internal rules on procurement as early as Monday
- It comes after the US earlier this year banned government purchases of Huawei gear
Japan is set to effectively ban government purchases of telecommunications products from China’s Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation over fears of intelligence leaks and cyberattacks, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Friday.
A Japanese government official with knowledge of the matter told the South China Morning Post the government had not yet made a final decision on excluding Huawei and ZTE from its list of approved vendors.
“[We] have not excluded specific companies without justifiable reasons. The government needs to respond to various threats including supply chain risks, we have been carrying out necessary measures in light of developments overseas and technological progress related to cybersecurity issues,” said the official, who was not authorised to speak publicly.
The report follows a decision by the United States this year to ban government purchases of Huawei gear.