JAUKUS983 | 1 points | May 23 2022 08:01:52

日本开始防范中国小偷 日本正在要求各个大学对外国学生和学者进行更严格的审查，以防止技术泄漏到中国等地，这是为了日本国的国家安全--路透社报道

With eye on China, and U.S. ties, Japan's universities to screen foreigners

TOKYO, May 23 (Reuters) - Japan is asking universities for greater scrutiny of foreign students and scholars to prevent technology leaks to places like China, partly for its own national security but also to safeguard exchanges with U.S. and European universities.

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While many Western countries have measures to prevent espionage on their campuses with strict screening and penalties for breaches, experts say Japan has been a weak link given its often-unchecked embrace of foreign students.

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A string of U.S. arrests of Chinese academics in recent years over suspicion of spying was a wake-up call for Japan, officials say.

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"Around the world, export controls are getting more stringent on foreign nations like China," said a Japanese trade ministry official who helps colleges develop ways to monitor high-risk technology transfers and students.

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"We want Japanese universities to be trusted for their security and trade controls so that joint research with the United States or Europe can continue," said the official, who declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to media.

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At a time of debilitating supply-chain disruptions, intellectual property theft and cyberattacks, economic security has become a top priority for policymakers globally and a vital area of diplomatic cooperation.

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Officials did not point to a specific incident in Japan that prompted the campaign but said rather that Japan has needed an improvement in the area, not least so colleges can maintain ties with U.S. and other Western partners.

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The drive to step up monitoring in academia is part of a push to expand its export controls, in tandem with a new economic security bill passed this month. read more

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As Western tension with China grows, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting U.S. President Joe Biden are expected to reaffirm greater coordination on technology, supply chains and other areas this week in Tokyo.

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'REAL AND SERIOUS' RISKS

Under the new guidelines, effective this month, universities are being asked to conduct background checks and flag people of interest, such as those with ties to foreign governments or defence-related institutions.

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Previously, screening had been limited to cases of people trying to send potentially sensitive information and goods overseas.

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The new screening is designed as an additional layer on top of immigration visa procedures.

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Until now, for example, a Chinese scholar subsidised by his or her government would face few hurdles taking a doctoral course in cutting-edge radar technology in Japan, and then go home to put the research to use for military purposes.

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The same scholar might well have been rejected as a high-risk candidate in the United States, where the stakes are high for universities: along with the individual, they can be held liable for any breach in export controls.

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The U.S. embassy in Japan said it welcomed the revised guidelines. In an emailed statement to Reuters, it said the United States would look for new ways to help Japan and its universities protect against what it called "real and serious" research security challenges in both countries.

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Many Japanese universities are desperate to fill places as the number of student-age citizens declines in an ageing population, and foreigners have provided a lifeline.

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Chinese students made up 44% of Japan's 279,597 foreign university students in 2020, according to government data, while the United States was the top destination for Japanese researchers, followed by China, in 2019.

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'NOT INTELLIGENCE OPERATORS'

But questions remain over how effective the new system will be and some academics say they simply are not cut out to be spy catchers.

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The process is voluntary and relies on little more than surveys to determine whether foreign students are getting state grants or intend to deal in defence-related technology.

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Takahiko Sasaki, who oversees export controls at Tohoku University, said his college would seek written pledges from staff not to teach sensitive technology to students or other faculty members with ties to foreign government entities without permission.

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That would be on top of an existing policy asking foreign faculty and students to submit a pledge in writing to abide by Japanese export control regulations, he said.

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"We are not intelligence operators. Checking resumes and academic records - that should be the extent of our job as a university."

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Immigration authorities are known to have missed the transfer of sensitive technology in the past.

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Japan's intelligence agency learned that nine Chinese researchers had returned home to work in the defence sector after studying technologies for hypersonic missiles at Japanese institutions for years, media reported last year.

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"Universities need money so they keep bringing in international students but some have little sense of crisis," said Masahiko Hosokawa, a former trade ministry official who was in charge of export controls.

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"They should find ways to operate without Chinese nationals."

着眼于中国和美国关系，日本大学将筛选外国人

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路透东京5月23日电---日本要求各大学对外国学生和学者进行更严格的审查，以防止技术泄露到中国等地，部分是为了本国的国家安全，同时也是为了保障与美国和欧洲大学的交流。

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尽管许多西方国家采取措施，通过严格审查和惩罚违规行为来防止校园内的间谍活动，但专家表示，日本一直是一个薄弱环节，因为它经常不加控制地接纳外国学生。

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官员们表示，近年来，美国因涉嫌从事间谍活动而逮捕了一系列中国学者，这给日本敲响了警钟。

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“在世界各地，对中国等外国的出口管制越来越严格，”日本贸易省一位负责帮助高校制定监控高风险技术转让和学生的官员表示。

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这位官员表示：“我们希望日本大学在安全和贸易管制方面得到信任，以便与美国或欧洲的联合研究能够继续下去。”这位官员拒绝透露身份，因为他无权对媒体发表讲话。

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在供应链中断、知识产权盗窃和网络攻击不断加剧的情况下，经济安全已成为全球决策者的头等大事，也是外交合作的重要领域。

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官员们没有指出在日本引发这场运动的具体事件，而是说日本在这方面需要改进，不仅仅是为了让大学能够与美国和其他西方伙伴保持联系。

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加强学术界监测的努力是扩大出口管制的一部分，同时本月通过了一项新的经济安全法案。阅读更多信息

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随着西方与中国的紧张关系日益加剧，预计日本首相岸田文雄和到访的美国总统乔·拜登本周将在东京重申加强在技术、供应链和其他领域的协调。

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“真实和严重”风险

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根据本月生效的新指导方针，各大学被要求进行背景调查，并标记出感兴趣的人，例如那些与外国政府或国防相关机构有联系的人。

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此前，筛查仅限于试图向海外发送潜在敏感信息和货物的人。

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新的审查被设计为移民签证程序之上的额外一层。

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例如，到目前为止，一位由其政府资助的中国学者在日本攻读尖端雷达技术博士课程时几乎没有遇到什么障碍，然后回国将研究用于军事目的。

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在美国，同一位学者很可能会被拒绝为高风险候选人，因为美国的大学面临着巨大的风险：他们可能会与个人一起为违反出口管制承担责任。

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美国驻日本大使馆表示欢迎修订后的指导方针。在给路透社的一份电子邮件声明中，该公司表示，美国将寻求新的途径，帮助日本及其大学应对两国“真实而严重”的研究安全挑战。

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随着老龄化人口中适龄学生人数的下降，许多日本大学迫切希望填补空缺，而外国人提供了生命线。

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根据政府数据，2020年，在日本279597名外国大学生中，中国学生占44%，而2019年，美国是日本研究人员的首选目的地，其次是中国。

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'非情报操作员'

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但新系统的有效性仍存在疑问，一些学者表示，他们根本不适合做间谍捕手。

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这一过程是自愿的，仅依靠调查来确定外国学生是否正在获得国家助学金或是否打算从事国防相关技术。

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东北大学负责出口管制的佐佐木隆彦表示，他的学院将寻求工作人员的书面承诺，不在未经许可的情况下向学生或与外国政府实体有联系的其他教员教授敏感技术。

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他说，这将是现有政策的基础，该政策要求外国教师和学生以书面形式承诺遵守日本出口管制条例。

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“我们不是情报人员。检查简历和学术记录——这应该是我们作为一所大学的工作范围。”

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众所周知，移民局过去错过了敏感技术的转让。

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据媒体去年报道，日本情报机构获悉，在日本机构研究高超音速导弹技术多年后，9名中国研究人员回国在国防部门工作。

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前贸易部官员细川正彦（MasahikoHosokawa）表示：“大学需要资金，所以他们会不断招收国际学生，但有些人几乎没有危机感。”“他们应该想办法在没有中国公民的情况下开展业务。”