Japan will further limit the export of technology for the production of chips. Japan’s Commerce Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura announced this on Thursday, reports news agency Nippon. From now on, Japanese companies will need a license to export the most advanced products, which are said to be 23 types.
The decision comes after the United States and the Netherlands previously curbed the sale of state-of-the-art semiconductor technology to China. According to Nishimura, the new measure was not taken in consultation with the Americans. He stressed that the new export restrictions apply to all markets, not just China. Tokyo Electron, a major supplier of equipment for making semiconductors, will also fall under the restrictions.
A visit to China by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is scheduled for Saturday. In his own words, he wants an “honest and frank discussion” with his Chinese counterpart in order to establish a “constructive and stable relationship”. The recent measures taken by the US and the Netherlands, among others, to cut off the supply of high-quality chip technology to China, are prompted by the fear that the Chinese development of quantum computers, artificial intelligence and wireless networks, among other things, could be used for military purposes.
Earlier this year, the Dutch cabinet decided to extend export restrictions for chip machine maker ASML. The company, which is the world’s leading manufacturer of chip production machines, is no longer allowed to sell certain versions of its devices to China. ASML has not had permission for export to China for the latest generation of machines for years.
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