In various meetings related to global HR, I have recently been receiving more questions regarding security clearance and foreign employees.
The security clearance system was newly established under the Act on the Protection and Utilization of Critical Economic Security Information, which came into effect in June 2024. Under this system, access to information deemed important by the government is granted only to individuals who meet predetermined requirements and hold the necessary qualification.
In practice, in fields such as defense and the military, it is possible that companies or individuals who do not hold this qualification cannot participate in bidding processes or join consultations with government officials of other countries.
Many companies have already introduced the system.
As a result, situations are emerging in which foreign employees cannot obtain the qualification simply because of their nationality, preventing them from joining projects and causing a decline in motivation on the ground.
While I understand that nationality can be a factor in determining eligibility, I believe it is important to examine the issue more closely from several perspectives.
First, even if someone holds Japanese nationality, individuals who have naturalized may have close relatives who are foreign nationals, which could potentially influence screening results.
Second, conversely, if a person is a foreign national but has very limited connection to their home country, excluding highly skilled researchers who have outstanding achievements in the defense and security field would be a significant loss.
Nationality should not be treated as an absolute criterion.
There are, after all, spies who hold Japanese nationality without having undergone naturalization.
We should evaluate nationality much more substantively rather than formally.