Overview
- U.S. Forces Japan announced on Oct. 26 that vehicles made by Chinese automaker BYD are banned from entering Kadena Air Base because they present an "unacceptable and unmitigable" risk to personnel and missions.
- Base officials and reporting say the ban covers privately owned cars, contractor vehicles, taxis, delivery trucks and other commercial vehicles that can carry cameras, GPS, microphones and connected telematics.
- The action builds on a June Pentagon designation that listed BYD as a company supporting China’s military and blocks direct procurement with the firm.
- Beijing criticized the restriction as discriminatory, while U.S. commanders say installation leaders may use lawful, risk-informed measures and USFJ is considering whether to apply similar rules at other bases in Japan and possibly South Korea.
- Kadena hosts large numbers of personnel, aircraft and sensitive munitions, so officials say connected-vehicle data risks — location feeds, onboard camera and microphone streams, and phone pairings — could create pathways for intelligence collection that justify the ban.