For example, Japan makes it relatively easy to export dual-use technology to the United States and Europe, and vice versa: Because these countries are recognized as trusted nations under Japanese export law, companies in these countries are free to use Japanese dual-use technology to build weapons and can also export those weapons to other countries (subject to their own export regulations).
That in itself has angered BDS activists, who want Fanuc to end its ties with American defense contractors such as General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, which sell significant amounts of advanced weaponry to Israel. “We demand that these business relationships be ended immediately and that the two companies never do business together again,” Imano said in June. But activists have gone further, alleging that Fanuc, despite its public claims, is in fact doing business with Israeli defense companies.
“FANUC sells robots to Israeli military companies such as Elbit Systems and provides maintenance and inspection services,” Imano alleged.
Fanuc denies the allegations. “When selling products to Israel, we conduct the necessary transaction screening in accordance with Japan’s Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, confirm the user’s business operations and intended use, and will not sell to Israel if the product is for military use,” the company wrote in a statement to The Huffington Post.
The company added that after reviewing its records for the past five years, “there have been no sales of military products from our company or our European subsidiaries to Elbit Systems, IAI, BSEL, Rosenschein Plast or AMI in Israel, nor have there been any sales of military products from our company or our European subsidiaries to other Israeli companies.” The company did identify one case in which one of its robotic arms was sold to an Israeli company that makes military hardware “after confirming that the machine would be used for civilian medical purposes.”
At the same time, the company acknowledged that, although there are several intermediaries in Israel, when selling through an intermediary it cannot necessarily guarantee “who the end customer is.”
But there’s ample evidence to suggest Fanuc weapons have infiltrated Israel’s defense manufacturing sector. Several job ads posted by Elbit Systems, the Israel Defense Forces’ main domestic supplier, list “knowledge of Fanuc’s… controls” as an advantage or requirement for job applicants. One June job ad is for Elbit’s Cyclone division, which won a contract to make fuselage parts for F-35 fighter jets. In January, the Israeli Defense Ministry released a video showing a Fanuc robotic arm handling munitions at an Elbit factory.
Another Israeli company, Beit Shemesh Engines (BSEL), created a marketing video and uploaded photos to its website more than a decade ago that featured a FANUC robotic arm. According to a former employee’s resume, the company uses FANUC robotics to assemble aircraft engines, which may be used for civilian, rather than military purposes. Beit Shemesh counts the Israeli Air Force as its primary customer.
