TOKYO - The Japanese government on Friday submitted a bill to parliament to tighten restrictions on land acquisitions and transfers of ownership in areas sensitive to national security, with transfers to foreign governments and military personnel generally prohibited.
The changes to the act on the regulation of land use would designate uninhabited remote border islands and areas within about 1 kilometer around important facilities at risk from drone attacks, such as Self-Defense Forces bases, as restricted zones where acquisition and transfer will be subject to prior approval.
It comes as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration seeks to respond to increasingly sophisticated security threats. The government submitted the bill following its approval by the Cabinet, aiming for its passage in the current session through mid-December.
"Amid new forms of warfare seen in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there is a growing risk that land and other property near important facilities could be used as bases for attacks on the facilities using unmanned assets secretly stockpiled there," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a regular press conference in Tokyo.
The revisions would establish a prior approval system for land acquisitions and ownership transfers in the restricted zones, requiring government permission in advance for both.
Transfers of land ownership to foreign governments or military personnel would generally be prohibited, as well as land acquisitions by corporations effectively controlled by them and individuals obligated to cooperate with foreign governments in intelligence-gathering activities.
Transactions conducted without permission would be invalid, and applications to register the real estate would not be accepted. Violations would be punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 3 million yen ($19,000).
Corporations that become ineligible to acquire land due to a merger or other event would be ordered to transfer the land to a third party within a year. The government would be able to petition a court to order its sale by auction if the land is not transferred.
A system for Cabinet Office officials to conduct on-site inspections would also be introduced. Police would also be able as necessary to conduct inspections and, if activities impeding the functions of designated facilities are detected, recommend that the prime minister seek corrective measures.
