Japan’s trade minister said Japan has a “growing concern” that exports of advanced technologies are increasingly being used for military purposes, and called on Asian countries to tighten their controls of proliferation-related exports, according to an unofficial translation of a Feb. 19 notice from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The remarks came during Tokyo’s Asia Export Control Seminar earlier this month, which included more than 30 countries and hundreds of government and industry representatives. In opening remarks at the seminar, Japan’s minister called on Asian countries to “properly manage microtechnology” and “increase the effectiveness of export controls in order to respond to internationally responsible microtechnology procurement activities.”

Three former executives were charged with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act after they tried to bribe Indonesian government officials to secure contracts, the Justice department said in a Feb. 18 press release. The agency charged Reza Moenaf and Eko Sulianto -- two executives of the Indonesian subsidiary of the French power and transportation company Alstom -- and Junji Kusunoki -- a former executive with Japanese trading company Marubeni Corporation -- with FCPA violations and money laundering. The agency said the charges are part of a “wide-ranging investigation” into corrupt practices by Alstom and Marubeni, which has resulted in guilty pleas from five other people and the two companies.

A bipartisan group of 19 senators, led by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., are asking the U.S. trade representative to get a deal done with the United Kingdom before the U.K. reaches its agreement with the European Union. The letter, made public Feb. 18, says the U.K. “has the greatest freedom of action now,” and getting a comprehensive agreement before the EU agreement will give the U.S. “the best possible chance of earning new access to U.K. markets.” They urged that the deal not be limited to a few sectors, and that he follow Congress's fast track negotiating objective.

The Canadian Parliament is moving the successor to NAFTA along, so that a March ratification vote is still looking likely, news from Canada says. While the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will be reviewed by the agriculture, natural resources and industry/science/technology committees, not just the trade committee, the other committees only have until Feb. 25 for that review, a report from ipolitics said.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control updated a Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act entry on its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to a Feb. 19 notice. The update adds an address and identifying information for Inversiones Continental, a Panamanian holding company sanctioned in 2015 for money laundering and drug trafficking.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released a report Feb. 19 on licensing activities for certain exports to Iran and Sudan during the second quarter of fiscal year 2019. The report provides licensing statistics for exports of agricultural goods, medicine and medical devices to both countries as required by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls officially launched the registration and licensing applications for its Defense Export Control and Compliance System (see 2002040060) on Feb. 18. Users can register at the DECCS industry portal enrollment page, which also includes an enrollment guide.

United Kingdom companies are facing challenges navigating sanctions conflicts between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, which is leading to confusion over which items they can legally export, according to Roger Arthey, chair of the Institute of Export & International Trade’s Export Control Profession and the former head of export control compliance for Rolls-Royce. Those challenges were complicated by the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018 and the introduction of the European Union Blocking Regulation, which blocks EU businesses from complying with certain U.S. sanctions (see 1906240014).

Mike Miller began serving as the State Department’s permanent deputy assistant secretary for defense trade on Feb. 3, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls said in a Feb. 14 notice. Miller previously served in the position in an acting capacity.

In the Feb. 13-18 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted: