Export Control

In order to keep products and technologies out of the hands of nations and terrorists that threaten the safety of the international community, the Advantest Group pays the utmost caution to laws and regulations regarding security export control, along with self-management. In the unlikely event of an illegal export, legal sanctions such as temporary export bans will be imposed, which will call into question the social responsibility of the company that made the illegal export and lead to severe damage. Advantest has a basic policy of global compliance with laws and regulations, and has established in-house regulations that require export control to be implemented based on each country’s laws and regulations.

In international society, which is changing rapidly, security issues such as terrorist attacks and the development of weapons of mass destruction are becoming more serious by the day. As many Japanese products incorporate advanced technologies, it is necessary to implement measures that prevent leakage to countries and organizations that are subject to international sanctions. The Advantest Group carries out appropriate business practices by having export control officers collect information based on updated laws and orders, etc., based on laws, preventing mishandling by applying them to the entire company system, and incorporating this information into on-site education and training programs.

An export control system in compliance with laws and regulations

At Advantest, the Representative Director (Group CEO) serves as the chief executive for export control, in accordance with the Foreign Exchange Law and other relevant laws and regulations. The control system has been constructed and is operated under the leadership of top management since a failure to implement security export control may create a situation that endangers the company’s survival.

The Export Control Division of the Head Office regularly audits whether export procedures are being conducted properly in accordance with the basic policy/rules and regulations on export control, and the results are reported to the Chief Export Control Officer and the Export Control Manager.

Export control in the case of US-China trade friction

The working group in the figure considers and takes measures against the trade friction between China and the US. Although this is an issue in terms of international law, US export control regulations are applied extraterritorially to Japan. For this reason, working groups with the participation of related domestic and overseas parties have been established to regularly share information and to ensure that there are no violations of laws or regulations that the US would regard to be problematic.
The specific operations of the working group are as follows:

• For transactions with specific customers
  Checking the percentage of U.S.-origin items and direct product regulations to determine whether the product is subject to the regulations while considering the strengthening of regulations under the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
• For concerns about the objectives of our products
  In addition to the confirmation of conventional use, obtaining a written assurance that the product does not fall under any further restricted use.

Export control education

As the vast majority of Advantest employees operate globally, we provide e-learning that outlines export control along with annual training on export control concepts and necessary procedures. All employees in Japan and overseas participate. The content of these initiatives include "the business environment," "export control for security," "targets of export control," "Advantest’s export control policy," "points of caution upon export," "export of technology (provision of services)," and "EAR." We will continue to develop and implement more practical content, such as rules reinforcement and addressing important topics.

Risk management related to international affairs

Amid today's rapidly changing business environment, whilst the US diplomacy towards China and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, it is only natural that risks are also becoming more complex and diversified. Advantest has become a supporting member of the Center for Information on Security Trade Controls for the purpose of obtaining information on changes in the international situation and amendments to laws and regulations and reflecting our own requests during direct dialogues with regulatory authorities or when expressing opinions or making recommendations from the industry. In addition, we have a system in place to consult with outside experts such as lawyers, as necessary, when there is an introduction or amendment of laws and regulations that may have an adverse effect on our business.