Armed with a new law that boosts support for computer chip manufacturing, US Vice President Kamala Harris yesterday was seeking new investments and partnerships as she sat down with Japanese technology executives.
Harris was meeting with the chief executive officers on her last full day in Tokyo, a reflection of the US administration’s focus on boosting semiconductor manufacturing and expanding the supply chain for critical materials.
With China investing in computer chips of its own, the US is working to solidify its technology relationships with Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
Photo: AP
Legislation signed by US President Joe Biden — known as the CHIPS and Science Act — includes US$52 billion for grants and incentives for semiconductor companies, plus a 25 percent tax credit when they invest in facilities in the US.
There is also about US$200 billion over the next decade to support research programs.
“There’s no one country or company that can do everything on its own,” said Jimmy Goodrich, vice president for global policy at the Semiconductor Industry Association.
When it comes to Japan, “there’s a big opportunity and significant space for future investment,” Goodrich said.
The companies participating in the meeting with Harris included Tokyo Electron, Nikon, Hitachi High Tech Group, Fujitsu Limited, Micron and others.
When Biden was in Japan earlier this year, the two nations agreed to work together on computer chips, including through a joint group focused on developing more powerful technologies.
There are worries that if Japan is slow to act, the fruits of the Biden initiative might be snatched up by South Korea.
Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura has repeatedly said that the alliance on semiconductors is a vital cog in US-Japan ties.
In meetings with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, Nishimura has promised to set up a facility for semiconductor chips research in Japan this year, and expand the partnership on semiconductors with other allies, including Taiwan and Europe.
Atsushi Sunami, who teaches at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, said that the drawbacks to Japan tackling advanced semiconductor technology might be rooted in the view that Japan should not get involved in defense studies.
Quick rethinking was in order and the moves by Washington could be an opportunity for Japan, Sunami said.
“As the US-China hegemonic competition escalates, how Japan hopes to position itself in the jockeying for international standards and rulemaking, and the strategic formation of alliances among nations, as well as among companies, will be critically meaningful,” he said in a report earlier this year.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from