Japan, for instance, makes it comparatively straightforward to export dual-use applied sciences to the US and Europe, and vice versa. As a result of they’re acknowledged as trusted international locations below Japanese export legislation, firms in these states are usually free to make use of Japanese dual-use expertise to supply arms—and to, in flip, export these arms to different states (topic to their very own export controls).
This, itself, has drawn the BDS activists’ ire: They need FANUC to finish its relationship with American protection contractors like Common Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, which promote appreciable superior weaponry to Israel. “We demand that such enterprise relationships be instantly terminated and that the 2 firms by no means do enterprise with one another once more,” Imano mentioned in June. However the activists go additional, arguing that FANUC is, regardless of what it says publicly, truly doing enterprise with Israeli protection companies.
“FANUC sells its robots and gives upkeep and inspection companies to Israeli army firms similar to Elbit Methods,” Imano claimed.
FANUC has denied this cost. “After we promote merchandise to Israel, we supply out the mandatory transaction screening in accordance with Japan’s Overseas Change and Overseas Commerce Act, verify the consumer’s enterprise actions and supposed use, and don’t promote to Israel if the merchandise are for army use,” the corporate wrote to HuffPost.
The corporate added that, after reviewing their information of the previous 5 years, “we now have not bought any merchandise for army use to the Israeli firms Elbit Methods, IAI, BSEL, Rosenshine Plast, or AMI from our firm or our European subsidiary. We’ve additionally not bought any merchandise for army use to different Israeli firms from our firm or our European subsidiary.” The corporate recognized one occasion the place one in every of their robotic arms had been bought to an Israeli firm that produces army {hardware} “after confirming that the machine was for use for civilian medical functions.”
On the identical time, the corporate admitted that after they promote via intermediaries, of which Israel has a number of, they don’t seem to be at all times in a position to assure “who the ultimate buyer is.”
There may be, nevertheless, ample proof that means FANUC arms have made their means into the Israel protection manufacturing sector. A number of job listings posted by Elbit Methods, the first home provider of the Israel Protection Forces, record “information of FANUC … controls” as both a bonus to job candidates or a requirement. One such job itemizing, from June, comes from Elbit Cyclone, the division that received a contract to supply fuselage parts for the F-35 fighter jet. In January, Israel’s Ministry of Protection revealed a video exhibiting a FANUC robotic arm at an Elbit manufacturing unit, dealing with munitions.
One other Israeli firm, Guess Shemesh Engines (BSEL), greater than a decade in the past created advertising movies and uploaded pictures to their firm web site that includes the FANUC robotic arms. The CV of a former worker suggests the corporate used FANUC robotics to assemble plane engines, which can be used for civilian somewhat than army functions. Guess Shemesh counts the Israeli Air Pressure as a serious consumer.
