Japanese government is the latest to ban Huawei network equipment

By Harish Jonnalagadda
last updated

Huawei Logo
Huawei Logo (Image credit: Android Central)

The hits just keep on coming for Huawei: earlier this week, BT announced that it would be removing Huawei equipment from "key areas" of its 4G network. A week before that, New Zealand blocked the sale of Huawei equipment to regional carrier Spark, saying it identified a "significant network security risk." New Zealand also said it will not use Huawei equipment for its 5G network, a statement echoed by Australia.

It now looks like the Japanese government is also set to halt government purchases of equipment from Huawei and ZTE. Citing unnamed sources, Reuters says the decision was motivated by a need to beef up the country's defences against "intelligence leaks and cyber attacks."

The Japanese government is expected to formally introduce the new policy on Monday, with chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga stating that cybersecurity is a key issue for the country:

Cybersecurity is becoming an important issue in Japan. We'll take firm measures looking at it from a variety of perspectives.

Huawei, meanwhile, has maintained that it has no ties to the Chinese government, and that it doesn't use its network infrastructure to spy on other countries. However, that has done little to persuade governments around the world from banning its equipment.

Harish Jonnalagadda
Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.

19 Comments
  • Interesting this seems to keep happening.
  • Canada will be on the list shortly I presume.
  • There's already talk of it possibly happening. Telus & Bell will have to swap out Huawei equipment. Rogers mostly uses Ericsson equipment.
  • Canada should definitely ban Huawei from all government, military, Telecom and any companies doing business in those sectors. Why? Bec, China is trying dominate in all sectors especially in the telecom sector. Having a company who's founder has close ties to the government /military forsure will give access if it has control /access to the network its technologies are being used. Chinese government has a lot of control over it's ppl and domestic companies so forsure any Chinese company that has some access to other foreign governments info and or companies IP tech to allow them to catch up or give them an edge they ll get it. Majority of Cyber attacks on companies comes from China trying acquire IP tech. That's also how they have caught up by copying, pretending to partner up with foreign companies and stealing.
  • UK is fine now Huawei agreed to the demands of GCHQ
  • Really? Are you sure?
  • Yeah...they wouldn't lie, would they?
  • OK folks, since all of these countries are now piling on, I think it's probably a pretty good bet that something is indeed fishy about Huawei and ZTE equipment. The current administration in Washington DC has ruffled enough feathers with our traditional allies that I don't think they would pile on just in the name of cooperation.
  • Then ZTE offered a billion dollars to the US government and now all the sudden their equipment is ok to be used?
  • That's not true
  • They're just not taking any risks. They have zero evidence that Huawei is involve with the Chinese government.
  • False on the evidence part, according to Australian intelligence.
  • Lol, if you are a software company in China you work with the Chinese government if you like it or not..... My next door neighbor immigrated from Wuxi. He and his wife both are in software development...one does porgraming in C# other working on AI... They immigrated here buecusa they believe in God and that's a big no,no thier now.... He says the communist government requires backdoors on everything thier everything...China is becoming 1984 in our time....
  • Really? They are part of the Chinese government
  • I think it's a way to get Huawei to sell their 5G tech completely, as Thier tech is the best for 5G
  • This company was the REAL competition for Samsung. Apple is way far behind, but it is Huawei, Xiaomi, and OnePlus that were giving Samsung a run for its money. Hopefully this helps with better and badder products from Samsung.
  • Chinese "national champions" get carte blanche from the PRC wherever the need is seen from the top to crush foreign competition, thus the lowball prices offered by Huawei everywhere they go. China is not a market economy, and this is NOT REAL competition.
  • Apple is doing fine. Samsung is doing fine.
  • Who doesn't love a new cold war...