Japan’s government unveiled a $6.3 billion deal to buy out and privatize JSR Corporation, taking direct control of the world leader in chipmaking compounds at a time US-Chinese tensions threaten to fragment the $550 billion global semiconductor industry.
The move could help Tokyo expand control over compounds essential for making advanced semiconductors.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration is betting shifting geopolitical priorities will help Japan regain some of its long-lost leadership in semiconductors.
Japan is already preparing billions of dollars in subsidies as part of a push to triple domestic chip production by 2030.