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.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS