Japan bans Chinese, Russian researchers at ISAS

FILE: Entrance of Sagamihara Campus of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. (Photo By Kestrel – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)

ISTANBUL – Japan imposed a ban on Chinese and Russian researchers at its space agency scientific institute, Kyodo News reported on Friday.

The move by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) is “to protect sensitive technological information that could be used for military purposes,” said the Tokyo-based news agency.

Those from North Korea, Iran, Iraq, and Belarus were banned earlier from undergoing screening to enter the ISAS.

But until now those from China, India, and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were “subject to certain exceptions.”

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which owns the ISAS, has refused to comment on the issue.

The ISAS “set new standards for accepting foreign researchers and students that went into effect in September of last year,” an unnamed source said in the report.

“The move comes as part of efforts to prevent technologies used in satellites and rockets from being accessed by foreign agencies that are developing weapons of mass destruction,” the report added. (Anadolu)