US Military Bans BYD Vehicles at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa

The US military has banned vehicles made by Chinese electric carmaker BYD from Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa, citing security concerns. The US military in Japan said on October 27, 2026.

The ban took effect in the week of October 27. It applies to all BYD vehicles, including privately owned cars, taxis and delivery vehicles. Security personnel at the base's gates have been instructed to stop BYD vehicles and tell drivers to turn around.

Lt. Col. Alli Stormer, a spokesperson for the US Air Force's 18th Wing at Kadena, said BYD vehicles present a risk that is unacceptable and cannot be reduced to an acceptable level, to both personnel and the base's mission.

Kadena sits on Okinawa, a southern island chain that hosts a large share of US forces in Japan. The base is described as the biggest US Air Force base in East Asia. The Guardian reported that the restriction covers the base's vehicle access in full, without exceptions for personal use.

The ban follows a move by the Pentagon, the US Defense Department, in June 2026. At that time it added BYD to a list of 188 Chinese companies that it believes have ties to China's military.

The US has restricted Chinese technology on military grounds before. In 2018, the Defense Department banned the sale and use of Huawei and ZTE smartphones at military bases worldwide. China has also used similar tools. In 2021, it barred Tesla vehicles from some government compounds over camera security concerns, and it removed that restriction in 2024.

BYD has grown quickly in the electric car market. In 2025, it overtook Tesla as the world's biggest seller of battery-electric vehicles, meaning cars powered entirely by batteries rather than petrol engines.