Harris meets entrepreneurs in Tokyo seeking investment, chip partners

Tokyo, Sep 28 (EFE).- United States Vice President Kamala Harris held a meeting Wednesday with businessmen in Tokyo on her last day in Japan, in search of investment and partners to guarantee a stable supply and innovation in terms of chips.

The meeting was attended by representatives of more than a dozen Japanese conglomerates, including Tokyo Electron, Hitachi, Lasertec, Nikon and Fujitsu.

The US approved in August this year a law to promote the development and production of semiconductors in the country, with the aim of increasing its capacity in the sector against China.

To achieve this momentum, the US sees Japan as a player with “a very important and critical role in our ability to do this job and address the challenges we face,” Harris said in remarks broadcast online before the meeting was closed to the press.

Harris summarized the key points of the country’s new regulation: the increase in chip production in the US, a sustainable supply chain and diversification paths to protect against disruptions such as those seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, and research and development of new possibilities in the sector.

“Many of us talked about supply chain weakness even before the pandemic. It was almost predictable, but the pandemic brought it out in a very vivid and clear way,” said Harris, who considers it essential “to diversify our dependence on essential supplies.”

The US vice president believes there is little awareness of people’s confidence in today’s everyday products such as mobile phones and other devices, “without even knowing how dependent these products are on semiconductor chips.”

“Japan and the United States share a commitment to working toward resilient supply chains and investing in forward-thinking innovation,” said Harris, who has been visiting Japan since Monday for former President Shinzo Abe’s state funeral.

Harris held a similar meeting with businessmen in Singapore during a visit at the end of August, in a sign of the importance that the country is giving to boosting the industry. EFE

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