US bans BYD from air base in Japan over security concern, news report says

The US military has prohibited Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD from operating at a Japanese air base due to security concerns, according to a news report by South Korea's Yonhap. The restriction follows the addition of BYD to a list of entities believed to be assisting China's military, announced by Washington.

The issue appears to be linked to the cameras and sensors installed on BYD's electric vehicles, which US military officials in Japan suspect may be collecting and transmitting sensitive security information from the base, as reported by Yonhap. However, efforts to confirm this from the US military have not yielded immediate results.

BYD has yet to comment on the matter. The Kadena Air Base in Okinawa will be responsible for removing all BYD vehicles from its premises starting next Monday. This prohibition applies to all BYD cars, including those used by the base's personnel, contractors, commercial entities, and taxis.

In June, BYD, along with e-commerce giant Alibaba, internet firm Baidu, and carmaker NIO, were added to a list of companies deemed to be potentially aiding China's military.