Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition reported
the following:
IT分野で外資規制拡大 中国念頭に技術流出防止
【イブニングスクープ】
経済
2019/5/9 18:00日本経済新聞 電子版
財務省と経済産業省は2019年中にもIT（情報技術）分野での外資規制を拡大する。外為法で携帯電話やパソコン、半導体メモリーなどの製造業やソフトウエア開発でも日本の安全を脅かすと判断した場合は、外資による投資計画を中止させる。中国を念頭にした技術流出防止やサイバーセキュリティー対策であり、強硬姿勢を強める米国と歩調をあわせる。
外為法では安全保障上の観点から航空機や原子力関連、武器の製造業など指定した業種で投資規制を設けている。この対象業種に集積回路や半導体メモリーなどの製造業を加える。ソフトウエア開発、情報処理サービスなども含め20業種を加える見通しだ。
具体的には海外投資家が対象業種の上場企業の株式10%以上を取得したり、非上場企業の株式を取得したりする場合、国への事前の届け出を義務付け、審査が必要になる。問題が見つかれば政府は海外投資家に対し、計画変更や中止を求めることができる。例えば日立製作所やNEC、パナソニックといった業種の企業や関連会社などへの投資などが想定される。
デジタル化やグローバル化で、海外投資家は日本企業の存続に欠かせない面もある。最近ではジャパンディスプレイ（JDI）が台中連合への傘下入りを決めたり、東芝メモリがベインキャピタルなどの日米韓連合に売却されたりした。今回の措置は、海外投資家の買収や出資に大きな問題があると判断したときに、政府が素早く介入する姿勢を示す狙いがある。
米欧でもIT分野の技術流出の防止やサイバー対策で対内投資の規制を強化しており、日本が抜け穴になりかねない状況を是正する意味もある。
トランプ米大統領は18年8月、中国を念頭に外資の対米投資を厳しく審査する新法に署名した。安全保障上の理由から、海外の国有企業などによる米国の重要技術や重要インフラへの投資を一段と制限する内容で、ハイテク分野で覇権争いを繰り広げる中国企業の技術獲得を一段と制限する狙いがあるとみられている。20年2月までに本格適用する。
政府は08年、Jパワー株を買い増そうとしていた英投資ファンドのザ・チルドレンズ・インベストメント・ファンド（TCI）に対し、初めて外為法に基づく計画の中止命令を出した。日本は投資の自由を重視し、規制を慎重に運用してきたが、原発事業は重要との判断から強権を発動した。
Translation
2019/5/9 18:00 Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition
The Ministry of Finance together with the Ministry of Economy, Trade
and Industry would expand restrictions on foreign capital in the IT
(Information Technology) field by the middle of 2019. If based on the Foreign
Exchange and Foreign Trade Act it was determined that there was a threat to
Japan's safety in manufacturing and software development such as mobile phones,
PCs and semiconductor memories, the foreign investment plan would be
discontinued. It would be a measure on cyber security and on preventing technology leakage with China in mind, and to keep pace
with the United States which had strengthened its firm stance.
From the viewpoint of security in the foreign exchange and
trade laws, investment restrictions had been set up in specified industries
such as those aircraft and nuclear related, and in the manufacturing of
weapons. Manufacturing industries such as integrated circuits and semiconductor
memories were added to this targeted industry. It was expected that 20
industries would be added, including software development and information
processing services.
Specifically, when foreign investors acquired 10% or more of
the listed companies in the target industry, or acquired shares of non-listed
companies, it would be necessary to make a prior notification to the country
and a review would be required. If problems were found, the government could
ask foreign investors to change or cancel the plan. For example, investments in
companies and their related companies in the type of enterprise such as
Hitachi, NEC, and Panasonic were in mind.
With the trend of digitization and globalization, foreign
investors were also essential to the survival of Japanese companies. Recently,
Japan Display (JDI) had decided to become a subsidiary of the Taichung Union,
and Toshiba Memory was sold to some Japan-US-Korea alliance such as Bain
Capital. This measure aimed to show the government's stance to intervene
quickly when it was determined that there were major problems in the
acquisition and investment by foreign investors.
In the United States and Europe, too, restrictions on inward
investment had been tightened in cyber regulations, and in the prevention of
technology leaks in the IT field. As such there was a meaning of correcting a situation
where Japan could become a loophole.
US President Trump had signed a new law in August 2018 to
strictly screen foreign investment in the US with China in mind. For security
reasons, it was intended to further restrict the investment of state-owned
enterprises and the like into the US over important technologies and infrastructures
of the United States, aiming on further restricting the acquisition of
technology by Chinese companies which were competing for leadership in the
high-tech field. Full-scale application would be in effect by February 2020.
In 2008, for the first time the government based on the
foreign exchange laws issued an order to stop a plan of the Children's
Investment Fund (TCI), a British investment fund in trying to buy more J-power
shares. Japan emphasized freedom of investment and had been careful in enforcing
the regulations. But because the nuclear power business was judged to be
important, the power of the state was exercised.
The worries of Japan over technology
leakage is understandable. Japanese enterprises such as Hitachi, NEC, and
Panasonic are important asset to Japan.
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