Japan, US commit to closer chip cooperation in joint statement

Japan and the United States will issue a joint statement on technology cooperation on Friday that will commit them to closer cooperation in research and development of advanced chips and other technologies, a Japanese government source said.

Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will meet in Detroit, US on the sidelines of the 2023 APEC Trade Ministers’ Meeting, Yomiuri reported earlier. In addition to semiconductors, they will discuss artificial intelligence and quantum technology, the newspaper added.

They want to deepen ties between research and development centers in Japan and the United States, the Japanese official told Reuters, asking not to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to the media. This will be another additional step as they shape their future technology cooperation, he added.

As Washington and Tokyo reduce their exposure to Chinese supply chains amid growing tension, they are working together to expand chip manufacturing to ensure access to advanced components they see as essential for economic growth.

Japan has created a new chipmaker, Rapidus, which is working with International Business Machines Corp (IBM)(IBM.N) to develop advanced logic semiconductors, and offers subsidies to US memory maker Micron Technology Inc (MU .O) so that he can develop his production there.

Japan, along with the Netherlands, has also agreed to align with US export controls that will limit the sale of certain chipmaking tools to China.

The meeting between Nishimura and Raimondo comes after leaders of the advanced democracies of the Group of Seven agreed at a meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, to reduce their exposure to China due to its “economic coercion”.

Raimondo met with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Washington on Thursday, where they exchanged views on trade, investment and export policies.