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Chips, batteries and energy are key collaboration areas between the United States and Japan as the allies seek to secure supply chains and counter China, Washington’s envoy to Tokyo said.
Former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has focused on “commercial diplomacy” since arriving as U.S. ambassador this year, pushing for business tie-ups in areas that have broader significance for economic security.
One U.S. company is now looking at a “major potential investment” related to chips in Japan, in what would mark the latest collaboration between the countries on semiconductors, Emanuel told Reuters in an interview.
He declined to elaborate or give a timeline.
“Commercial diplomacy is a big piece of an overarching economic collaboration and coordination between the United States and Japan,” Emanuel said on Monday.
The two countries agreed on Friday to establish a new joint research center for next-generation semiconductors.
Japan has said it will provide as much as 92.9 billion yen ($700 million) to help U.S. firm Western Digital Corp and partner Kioxia Holdings boost memory chip output at a Japanese plant.
Meanwhile, Tesla supplier Panasonic Holdings Corp last month picked Kansas as the site for a new battery plant.
