24 June 1997, Nikkei America:

     MITI tightens export inspections for products using cryptography 

     Japan's The Ministry of International Trade and Industry has 
     started stricter export inspection of products incorporating 
     cryptographic technology. 

     The ministry will inspect such items with an eye to national
     security issues and prevention of terrorist activities. The new
     policy has reduced the trading volume of computers,
     software and IC cards. 

     It is necessary for exporters to get ministry permission to
     export products using cryptography and the inspection time
     has increased from a few weeks to over a month in some
     cases, said a spokesman for an electric machinery
     manufacturer. 

     MITI started stricter inspection after the U.S. government
     revised its regulations last October. It changed the minimum
     product price requiring inspection from more than 1 million
     yen to 50,000 yen. 

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