"Japanese semiconductors may also be blocked by 'Trump tariffs'"

On the 24th, an outlook was released that President Donald Trump's 'semiconductor tariff' could put the brakes on Japan's semiconductor revival goal.



This means that the US sales plan of 'semiconductor conglomerate' Lipidus, which is receiving full support from the Japanese government, could be disrupted.



On the 10th (local time), US President Donald Trump officially announced that a 25% tariff would be imposed on imported steel and aluminum. [Photo = Yonhap News]



Lipidus is a company established in 2022 by eight major Japanese companies, including Toyota, Kioxia, Sony, and NTT, to domestically produce semiconductors. The Japanese government has been supporting Lipidus, which is considered to hold the key to the revival of the country's semiconductor industry, in economic and institutional aspects.



According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), Lipidus plans to build a factory in Chitose City, Hokkaido, conduct test production of cutting-edge 2-nanometer (nm, 1 billionth of a meter) products around April of this year, and begin mass production in 2027. The original plan of Lipidus was to sell semiconductors to American information and communications technology (IT) companies and government agencies.



However, Nikkei diagnosed that Lipidus's plan was disrupted when President Trump announced on the 18th (local time) that he would impose a tariff of more than 25% on semiconductors imported into the United States.



It also said, "The Japanese government is likely to request an exemption from the tariff by emphasizing that Lipidus manufactures semiconductors using technology from IBM, an American company." Nikkei



also reported that if Lipidus is not exempted from the tariff, its mass production plans could be affected, and that the Japanese government may request an exemption from the tariff if the products were ordered by American companies or used American technology.



Japan currently exports memory for IT devices and power semiconductors used in electric vehicles to the United States. There is no semiconductor tariff between the two countries.



However, some analysts say that since semiconductors accounted for only 3% of Japan's exports to the United States last year, even if a tariff is imposed, there will not be a significant immediate impact.



The Nikkei reported that in Japan's semiconductor industry, there is a mix of optimism that President Trump will not actually raise tariffs and concern that the Trump administration's policies are unpredictable.





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