Japan, U.S. Agree to Expand Technology Cooperation

Washington, Jan. 5 (Jiji Press)--Japanese economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo agreed Thursday to expand the two countries’ cooperation over semiconductors to all emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum science.

At a meeting in Washington, the two ministers also agreed to strengthen government support for an early commercialization of next-generation chips, a critical component of a digital society.

Nishimura told reporters after the meeting that he and Raimondo “agreed to further strengthen Japan-U.S. cooperation” for next-generation chips.

The two “discussed the importance of working together to promote and protect critical and emerging technologies,” according to a readout released by the Commerce Department.

Foreign and economy ministers from Japan and the United States, meeting for the first time last year, pledged to reconstruct a rules-based international economic order to counter China and Russia.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]