Japan’s current regime will soon be introducing export regulations to control the use of semiconductor technology for military purposes, the Japan Times reported quoting government sources.
The current regime in Japan under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be amending the ministerial ordinance under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. Under this act export of certain products and technology related to semiconductors requires permission of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, the report claimed.
According to the Asian Lite a draft of the revised ministerial ordinance is expected to be released in the near future. The government will solicit opinions from companies and other related parties to introduce the regulatory measures in the spring.
This move by Japan comes after the US President Joe Biden had announced in October last year the regulatory tightening on China in relation to semiconductor technology.
The report claimed that amid increasing risk of a possible China Taiwan conflict, the need and control over tech supremacy was intensifying, particularly with semiconductors which crucial for the many technology-related sectors.
The regulations imposed on the semiconductor technology by US will be concentrated around the circuit line widths of 14 nanometers or less, the report said, adding that Japan’s upcoming amendments to the Act is supposed to be in the same domain.
“Yet the new regulations will not explicitly name China, in an effort not to trigger retaliatory measures the report claimed. Earlier US had also had requested cooperation from the Netherlands in the same matter,” reported the Asian Lite report.
Both Japan and the Netherlands are concerned about the impact on their domestic firms operating in the Chinese market and both countries will draft their own measures, the report claimed.
The semiconductor chip market, which is currently worth 500 billion dollars USD, is expected to double by 2030. So whoever controls or dominates the semiconductor market’s supply chain will be a future superpower, the report further stated, adding that China wants to own the technology to make chips which is still a US domain.
“That is why the US trying to control this technology flow to China,” read another report by Federico Giuliani for Inside Over.
The flow of semiconductor chip technology to China will ultimately be used by China for military strength, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Super Computers, Giuliani’s report from Inside Over further says, adding that China has been exponentially investing to increase its production capacity of these microchips and gain technology for production.