Business / Tech Jul 24, 2023
As Japan aligns with U.S. chip curbs on China, some in Tokyo feel uneasy
Tokyo remains worried that targeting China will provoke damaging retaliation, such as a ban on Japanese electric cars.
Tokyo remains worried that targeting China will provoke damaging retaliation, such as a ban on Japanese electric cars.
Japan, the world's third-largest economy, has been slow to invest in the field, and lags the United States in AI computer infrastructure.
There are also aspirations to use AI to compensate for the nation's graying population, said to be causing a labor shortage.
Export rules ban Japanese companies from selling lethal items overseas, but the allies appear to have found a workaround to enable the TNT sale amid global shortages of munitions.
Of nearly 500 major companies surveyed, 94% said they felt a sense of crisis when asked about the fall in annual births in 2022.
Analysts say China has made progress with its carriers, but has yet to master operating in difficult conditions or adequately protecting the vessels.
A key part of Tokyo's strategy hinges on persuading commercial firms that for decades have quietly armed the SDF to ramp up production.
The country's G7 presidency in 2023 and its return for a two-year stint as a nonpermanent Security Council member will give it a more conspicuous to voice its concerns.
By pointing to 2027 as the moment when East Asia's power balance may tip in China's favor, Japan's government can rally support for greater defense spending, experts say.
The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July has opened a debate over the church and has shone a spotlight on its close ties with the ruling LDP.