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 reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via email with a request for comment.
The findings come amid heightened tensions between China and Japan, as well as with Japan’s ally, the United States, where several recent spy cases involving military sites have led to prosecutions for passing sensitive information to Beijing. China defends its overseas investments as beneficial 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, areas located within 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) of sites with national security significance, such as nuclear power plants, Self-Defense Forces bases, coast guard facilities, and remote islands, are designated as “monitored areas.” There are currently 583 such areas 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 the sale of land near military installations and other critical U. S. infrastructure to buyers from opposing countries. Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed an executive order banning these types of purchases.
Minoru Kiuchi, Minister of State for Economic Security: “We will fully implement regulations to prevent any activity that could compromise critical facilities,” Kyodo News told a government council meeting on Monday.
Ivan Schlager, an expert in national security law at Kirkland and Ellis: “This is a decades-long clash between Chinese investors and the security community,” Schlager told the Financial Times earlier this year. “Is this a chance investment opportunity or a more strategic one?
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the United States: “Over the years, Chinese companies’ investments in the United States have contributed to selling domestic employment and economic progress,” Pengyu told Newsweek last week.
A provision calling for a review of Chinese-owned land near sensitive sites was removed at the last minute from a stopgap spending bill passed by Congress last week to avert a government shutdown. The factor will most likely resurface in the next congressional consultation.
Micah McCartney is a Newsweek reporter in Taipei, Taiwan. Covers US-China relations, security issues in East and Southeast Asia, and ties between China and Taiwan. You can contact Micah by emailing m. mccartney@newsweek. com.