Japan, US to make robust chip supply chains amid security concerns

Japan and the United States agreed on Tuesday to build robust supply chains for strategic items such as semiconductors and critical minerals by consulting each other more closely and detecting potential future disruptions rapidly as they ramp up bilateral efforts to safeguard economic security.

Following the second round of “two-plus-two” talks between their top diplomats and trade chiefs, Tokyo and Washington, though not mentioning China directly, urged the removal of all bans on Japanese food imports when such measures are not substantiated by science and said they would work to counter economic coercion.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura are part of the consultation framework, which also involves Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The long-time security allies are boosting cooperation in a bid to uphold the rules-based economic order in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is expanding its sphere of influence with its financial and military power.

While relations between Tokyo and Beijing have shown signs of improving, one source of friction is China’s recent blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports, imposed in response to the ocean release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Still, a joint statement on the two-plus-two talks, released ahead of a US-China summit scheduled to be held Wednesday, made no specific mention of the Asian powerhouse.

“As the region stands vulnerable to economic coercion and non-market policies and practices, it is critical to enhance resilience by building trusted supply chains and promoting open markets and fair competition,” the statement said.

14:45

An unwinnable conflict? The US-China trade war, 5 years on

An unwinnable conflict? The US-China trade war, 5 years on