Japanese Trade Minister Says Export Controls Need to Be Coordinated With US, Strengthened

January 6, 2023 by Mara Lee|Asia Pacific

Japan and the U.S. need to coordinate investment in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology at the same time they cooperate on export controls, according to Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's minister of economy, trade and industry. He spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Jan. 5.

Nishimura said it's important not to compete on subsidies, which is why the industrial policy in both countries needs to be coordinated.

"In order to address the misuse of critical and emerging technologies by malicious actors and inappropriate transfers of technologies, it is also absolutely imperative for us to reinforce our cooperation in the area of export controls," he said. "We will implement strict export controls grounded in international cooperation while engaging closely in an exchange of views with the United States and other countries."

Nishimura also told the audience he had met with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo ahead of his speech.

He said that in the past, countries allowed their technologies to be "egregiously stolen" and then those technologies were used for military purposes.

Nishimura also addressed the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in his speech, saying it is "of great significance for both the United States and partner countries in the region." He said Japan will "spare no effort to conclude IPEF negotiations."

But while he praised the IPEF's ambitions to boost supply chain resilience and build a clean economy, the economy minister also said, in response to a question from a CSIS moderator, that it is unlikely to be a path back into the Trans-Pacific Partnership for the U.S.

"Because it doesn't include market access improvement or tariff reduction, IPEF will not be a replacement for TPP," he said. He acknowledged there are no signs from the administration that it would consider rejoining the TPP, but he said through an interpreter, "We will keep on taking every opportunity for saying that: Please come back to TPP."