© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Printed Chinese and Japanese flags are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
TOKYO (Reuters) – The Japanese government will begin restricting exports of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China in the spring after amending foreign exchange laws to allow for the change, Kyodo News reported on Saturday.
The new regulation will not specifically mention China in an attempt to reduce the risk of retaliation by Beijing, the report said, without specifying where it got the information.
Japan and the Netherlands have agreed to join the United States in halting shipments of semiconductor manufacturing equipment made by Nikon (OTC:) Corp and ASML Holdings in an attempt to stop China from developing advanced chips that could be used to improve its military power, they said. sources to Reuters, confirming earlier media reports.
Only Washington, however, has acknowledged the existence of the deal and has yet to release any details on what equipment will be restricted.