China Buying Land Near Sensitive Military Sites: US Ally

What's New

Chinese buyers accounted for the largest proportion of foreign land and property acquisitions near sites deemed sensitive to Japan's national security during fiscal year 2023, according to a government survey released Monday.

Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via email with a request for comment.

Why It Matters

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.

What To Know

Foreign individuals and entities were involved in 371, or 2.2 percent, of the 16,862 transactions of land and structures near sensitive areas in the year ending March 2024, local media reported, citing the government survey.

Of these, Chinese buyers 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.

A PAC-3 surface-to-air missile system is transported into Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces' Kaita base in Kaita town, Hiroshima prefecture on August 12, 2017. China-linked buyers accounted for 203 of 371 land purchases with national security... AFP via Getty Images

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 national security risks posed by foreign ownership of land near sensitive locations have grown in recent years, particularly regarding countries such as China and Russia.

Since last year, Florida and Georgia have enacted laws restricting land sales near military installations and other critical U.S. infrastructure to buyers from nations considered adversarial. Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed an executive order banning such purchases.

What People Are Saying

Minoru Kiuchi, minister of state for economic security: "We will ensure the thorough implementation of regulations to prevent any activities that could compromise critical facilities," Kyodo News quoted him as saying at a government council meeting Monday.

Ivan Schlager, expert on national security law at Kirkland and Ellis: "This has been a decades-long conflict between Chinese investors and the security community," Schlager told the Financial Times earlier this year. "Are they a coincidental investment opportunity or something more strategic?"

Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the U.S.: "Over the years, Chinese companies' investment in the United States has made important contributions to promoting domestic employment and economic development," Pengyu told Newsweek last week.

What's Next

A provision mandating 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 avoid a government shutdown. The issue is likely to resurface during the next congressional session.