Japanese technology company Icom in focus after devastating explosions

The Japanese technology company Icom is at the center of international attention after it was revealed that walkie-talkies allegedly manufactured by the company exploded in Lebanon. Icom clarified that production of the model in question, the IC-V82, was discontinued a decade ago and is currently investigating the incident. Icom supplied the IC-V82 transceiver to regions including the Middle East until October 2014, but ceased the sale and production of these devices and associated batteries thereafter. The Osaka-based company also emphasized that almost all IC-V82 devices on the market are counterfeit. Over the last two days, more than 26 people have died due to explosions involving various electronic devices, and more than 3,000 have been injured. The explosive incidents, including beepers and walkie-talkies, have heightened tensions in the region, with Hezbollah accusing the Israeli government of the attacks. The Israeli government has not commented on the accusations. One of the unresolved questions remains how explosives were incorporated into the devices. If the affected walkie-talkies were indeed originally manufactured by Icom, it is likely that they were modified after their sale. Evidence of missing hologram labels supports the suspicion that the devices are counterfeit. All Icom transceivers are manufactured following safety protocols in a factory in Wakayama Prefecture, with no overseas contract manufacturing. According to Yoshiki Enomoto, Director of Icom, the batteries may have been retrofitted with explosives, as photos of the damaged devices show significant damage in the battery compartment. Despite the grim events, Icom's stock price rose by 2.6% amid a general surge in Japanese stocks. Mitsuru Fukuda, a professor of risk management at Nihon University, sees the explosions as a potential new form of terrorism and emphasizes that companies will need to implement stronger controls over their supply chains to minimize security risks going forward. The Japanese government is also gathering information on the incident, as Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi explained. Icom's history includes a contract from the 1990s to supply transceivers to the U.S. Department of Defense.