May 29 (Bloomberg) -- Japan will tighten controls over technologies that could be used to develop weapons of mass destruction after a series of cases in which Japanese firms exported equipment to North Korea, the Yomiuri newspaper said.

Research institutions developing technologies with a military application, such as navigation and propulsion devices, will be required to establish an information security division, the newspaper said.

It’s the first time the government has extended control over research institutions citing national security concerns, according to the report.

Two closely held companies were investigated by police last year over the illegal export of vacuum pumps to North Korea that investigators said could be used for uranium enrichment, the Yomiuri said at the time. North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in three years on May 25.

To contact the reporters on this story: Stuart Biggs in Tokyo at sbiggs3@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 28, 2009 18:56 EDT