US, Japan set to agree on joint research for semiconductors: Media

TOKYO: Japan and the United States are expected to agree on joint research for next-generation semiconductors to establish a secure source of the vital components during economic talks between the allies, Japanese media said on Friday.

Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and trade minister Koichi Hagiuda will meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Washington D.C. for the first round of economic “two plus two” talks on Friday, with supply chain security expected to be a major topic.

A joint research and development centre will be set up in Japan by the end of this year to research 2-nanometer semiconductor chips, the Nikkei Shimbun said.