Japan decided on a policy Monday that will effectively exclude Chinese telecommunication equipment giants Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. from public procurement starting in April next year, the government said.
The decision comes amid concerns about security breaches that have already prompted the United States, Japan's key ally, and some other counties to ban the two companies from supplying infrastructure products.
"It is extremely crucial not to procure equipment that embeds malicious functions including information theft and destruction," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference after cybersecurity officials from relevant government ministries and agencies agreed on the plan.