Japan has told the United States that it will not participate in the U.S. plan to exclude companies from China from telecommunications networks, multiple government sources said Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has sought friendly nations to ban firms from China from supplying the networks in the name of security.
For Japan, if there are security concerns, it will continue to cooperate with the United States while taking its own measures.
In August, the U.S. government proposed the Clean Network program to eliminate companies from China from fields related to U.S. telecommunications: telecommunications networks, apps, app stores, cloud-based systems and undersea cables. Washington has called on other countries to join the Clean Network with the aim of avoiding security risks such as leakage of classified information.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Tokyo on Oct. 6, when Pompeo mentioned the Clean Network. Motegi indicated Japan's willingness to cooperate on the 5G next-generation, high-speed mobile phone standard.
During the negotiation process on the Clean Network, the Japan side said it was "unable to participate in a framework that excludes certain countries," conveying its position that it was difficult to participate in the current program but would reconsider if it is revised, sources said.
The government has already effectively excluded the Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies Co., without naming it, from its 5G network. Tokyo reportedly has explained to Washington that Japan would not be the cause of any security concerns regarding 5G and likewise in other related fields.
In regard to confrontations between the United States and China, the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement panel concluded in a report released in September that the United States had violated WTO rules in imposing punitive tariffs on China.
"If we joined the U.S. framework of excluding China," a high-ranking government official said, "we could be sued at the WTO along with the United States."
Such concerns were also believed to be conveyed to the U.S. side.
Japan is more dependent on the Chinese economy than the United States is, and Japanese business circles are cautious about excluding China. With Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled to visit Japan as a state guest, diplomatic circles of Japan and China apparently hope to avoid provoking Beijing in the wake of U.S.-China conflict.
Furthermore, if former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden wins the U.S. presidential election in November, some observers expect the Trump administration's aggressive stance toward China, such as the Clean Network, will be reconsidered. Japan apparently wants to closely observe U.S. actions for the time being.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
