U.S. Asks Japan To Stop China's Bid To Make High-End Chips

The United States has directly asked the Japanese government for cooperation in stymieing China’s efforts to develop high-end semiconductors, sources familiar with the matter said, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: Outside the United States, Tokyo Electron and Dutch firm ASML Holding N.V. occupy leading spots in the global semiconductor equipment market.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo made the request during her phone conversation with Japanese industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Friday, according to the sources.

The US in October unveiled a sweeping set of export controls on certain high-end chips that could be used by Beijing to train artificial intelligence systems and power advanced applications in the military and surveillance fields.

The request is believed to be the first ministerial one from the US on the issue. Washington’s push to create a multilateral regulatory framework comes amid concerns that there will be loopholes in its export controls if Japan and the Netherlands continue to provide China with devices essential to manufacture advanced chips.

Outside the United States, Tokyo Electron and Dutch firm ASML Holding N.V. occupy leading spots in the global semiconductor equipment market.

But the imposition of similar export restrictions on China by Tokyo would inevitably draw backlash from Beijing and likely make any concrete policy cooperation difficult to realize, Mainichi Shimbun also reported.

As high-tech competition between the United States and China intensifies, Japan has found itself increasingly caught between its ally and its largest trading partner.

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