Japan, home to major chip equipment makers such as Nikon Corp and Tokyo Electron Ltd, did not specify China as the target of the restrictions, saying manufacturers would need to seek export permission for all regions.
“We are fulfilling our responsibility as a technological nation to contribute to international peace and stability,” Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura told a news conference.
Japan wants to stop its advanced technology being used for military purposes and does not have a specific country in mind, he said.
But the decision, coming ahead of a weekend visit to Beijing by Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi, will be seen as a major win for the U.S., which in October announced sweeping restrictions on access to chipmaking technology to slow China’s technological and military advances.
“Politicising, instrumentalising and weaponising economic and technological issues, and artificially disrupting…
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