The largest US Air Force installation outside America is closing its gates to one brand of car. From October 26, Kadena Air Base in Okinawa will refuse entry to BYD vehicles manufactured in China.
The 18th Security Forces Squadron will turn them away at every checkpoint. Privately owned cars fall under the order, and so do contractor vehicles, taxis and delivery trucks. Base officials said no exceptions would be granted.
A US Forces Japan official confirmed the policy to Korean media. The stated concern is that cameras, sensors and software-defined vehicle systems could collect imagery of the 18th Wing’s fighters, transports, radar and munitions stores, then move it outward through cloud links or remote-control functions.
Kadena hosts the Typhon ground launcher for Tomahawk cruise missiles, which puts targets 1,600 km away within reach of the island. Anything that photographs the flight line matters there.
The measure extends a pattern that began with handsets. Huawei and ZTE phones have been barred from exchanges at US bases worldwide since 2018. The Pentagon added BYD to its Section 1260H list of Chinese military-linked companies in June. Officials in Japan and Korea expect the vehicle ban to reach Futenma and US bases in the South.
