The US military has banned vehicles made by Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD from Kadena Air Base on Japan's Okinawa island, saying their presence posed a security risk, Reuters reported. The ban began at the base on Monday.
Source: Reuters via World Auto Forum
"These vehicles present an unacceptable and unmitigable risk to our personnel and our mission," base spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Alli Stormer, the 18th Wing's chief of public affairs, said. She did not say what specific concern had prompted the commander to act against the Chinese electric vehicles, Reuters reported.
The restrictions apply to all BYD vehicles, including privately owned cars, taxis and delivery vehicles, and security personnel at the base's gates have been instructed to block BYD vehicles and instruct drivers to turn around, The Guardian reported. Kadena is the biggest US air force base in East Asia and would be directly involved in responding to a crisis involving China, Russia or North Korea, the report said.
Source: The Guardian via EuropeSays
Why connected cars worry base commanders
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the move comes amid concerns of potential information leaks via vehicle-mounted technologies such as cameras, sensors and GPS devices, and fuelled speculation that similar measures could be taken at other US military facilities, including in South Korea. US Forces Japan said installation commanders may take lawful, risk-informed security measures to mitigate credible threats, according to reports on the ban.
Source: Yonhap via SOFX
The Pentagon in June designated BYD, along with e-commerce firm Alibaba, internet company Baidu and automaker NIO, as companies it believes support China's military. BYD rejected the designation and said it would pursue administrative and legal avenues to protect its interests, Reuters reported.
BYD overtook Tesla as the world's biggest seller of battery-electric vehicles in 2025 and is expanding overseas, including in Japan, where it launched its Racco electric minicar in July. China has imposed similar restrictions before: in 2021 it barred Tesla vehicles from some government compounds over security concerns about their cameras, and removed that restriction in 2024 after Tesla won an endorsement from China's top auto industry association, Reuters reported.