Any Kioxia-Western Digital deal should ensure equal hubs in Japan, U.S.: Senior lawmaker

TOKYO: Any merger of Japanese chipmaker Kioxia Holdings and U.S. rival Western Digital Corp should ensure critical operations are split equally between the two countries, a senior member of Japan’s ruling party told Reuters.

The comments from Akira Amari, a former economy minister and influential lawmaker in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), underscore Japan’s desperation to preserve the remnants of its semiconductor industry, an area where it once led the world but has since been eclipsed.

“We shouldn’t allow everything to be taken away to the United States,” Amari said in an interview on Thursday.