BYD Vehicles Banned At U.S. Military Base In Japan
Fears of what cameras on the car records and sends back home likely prompted the action
BYD is expanding its global export operations, but you definitely won't find the Chinese automaker's cars in one place for a while. Asian media says BYD vehicles are being banned from a US air base in Japan over security concerns.
Starting Monday, BYD models will not be allowed onto the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, an island around 1,000 miles southwest of Tokyo, the Korean Yonhap news agency reported today. Security personnel have been told to turn away all BYD vehicles, including taxis, delivery vehicles, and contractor vehicles, AA writes.
"These vehicles present an unacceptable and unmitigable risk to our personnel and our mission," Lieutenant Colonel Alli Stormer from the Kadena base said, per Reuters. Stormer didn't reveal what prompted the action, but reports suggest concerns that cameras and sensors built into modern BYD cars, trucks, and SUVs could capture sensitive military information from the base.
On the Pentagon's naughty list
BYD is already on a list of companies the Pentagon thinks support China's military. The updated document, released this June, also lists fellow auto brand Nio, e-commerce giant Alibaba, and technology firm Baidu as suspected collaborators.
Chinese-brand cars are not currently available in the US because of high tariffs and restrictions on Chinese software. Geely-owned Polestar was forced to exit America after the 2026 model year over its software, despite the automaker building the cars at its Ridgeville, South Carolina plant. And some US lawmakers are currently trying to pass legislation that would ensure America locks Chinese cars out permanently.
But America isn't the only country concerned that modern cars from other regions could spy on its military installations. In 2021, Tesla vehicles were temporarily banned from entering some Chinese government sites, but that ban was overturned in 2024 after China-made Teslas met the country's data security requirements.
Although BYD and other Chinese brands aren't yet available for purchase in the U.S., they are selling strongly in other global regions, such as Europe. By comparison, the brand's performance in Japan has been less than stellar, and it holds just 0.1 percent of the market, which domestic brands dominate. To improve its share, BYD launched the Racco, an electric kei car.