China Tightens Export Controls on Japan

Feb 25, 2026 | News On Japan

BEIJING, Feb 25, 2026 (News On Japan) - China has placed 20 Japanese companies and institutions under export controls, in what appears to be a further escalation of countermeasures following remarks by Prime Minister Takaichi concerning a potential Taiwan contingency.

China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on February 24th that it had added 20 Japanese companies and organizations, including Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and the National Defense Academy of Japan, to its export control list.

Under the measures, the export of dual-use items—goods and technologies that can serve both civilian and military purposes—from China to these entities will be prohibited. The ministry also said overseas businesses will be barred from exporting China-made dual-use items to the listed entities, although specific items subject to the ban were not disclosed.

In addition, the ministry said it had placed another 20 Japanese companies and organizations, including Subaru and Hino Motors, on a monitoring list.

For exports of dual-use items from Chinese companies to these monitored entities, the ministry said it would conduct stricter reviews, including more rigorous scrutiny of end-use.

A spokesperson for the ministry stated that the purpose of the sanctions was “to deter Japan’s remilitarization and attempts to possess nuclear weapons,” adding that the measures were “fully justified, reasonable, and lawful.”

Source: TBS

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