TOKYO: The Japanese government is considering imposing fines of up to ¥1 billion ($8.7 million) on companies that do not get approval before exporting cutting-edge technologies that can be converted to military use, informed sources said Friday. The government is mulling a revision of the foreign exchange and trade law to introduce the heavy penalties, the sources said. A bill to amend the law will be submitted to the ordinary session of the Diet, scheduled to start next Friday, the sources said.
Japan will follow the United States and European countries, which are strengthening measures to prevent leaks of their state-of-the-art technologies abroad that could jeopardize their national security. Under the law, Japan currently imposes up to ¥10 million $87,000) in fines on individuals and companies exporting without permission goods and technologies that can be used for military purposes, such as making weapons of mass destruction. Through the amendment, the upper limit on the fines on individuals would be raised to ¥30 million, while a new system to slap up to ¥1 billion in fines on corporate violators would be set up, the sources said. The bill also stipulates that the provision of technological information to foreigners staying in Japan for six months or longer be subject to government approval.
