Japan and US Agree to Cooperate on Advanced Technology

Japan and the United States have agreed to cooperate closely in research and development of advanced chips and other technologies, sources have revealed.

Ministers from both countries are expected to issue a joint statement on technology cooperation on Friday in the US, 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 in the US on the sidelines of the 2023 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, Yomiuri reported earlier.

In addition to semiconductors, they will discuss artificial intelligence and quantum technology, the newspaper added.

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Move to deepen research ties

They want to deepen ties between research and development hubs in Japan and the US, the Japanese official said, while asking not to be identified because he is not authorised to talk to the media.

It will be another incremental step as they map out 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 that they see as essential for economic growth.

Japan has established a new chip maker, Rapidus, that is working with International Business Machines Corp (IBM) to develop advanced logic semiconductors, and is offering subsidies to US memory maker Micron Technology so it can expand production there.

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

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

Raimondo on Thursday met China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao in Washington where the pair exchanged views on trade, investment and export policies.