The political backbiting and sniping in Washington over all things Japanese has finally got to Fujitsu Ltd, and according to Electronic News, the company has decided not to participate in the proposed management buyout of ravaged chipmaker Fairchild Semiconductor, leaving the future of the Schlumberger subsidiary in doubt in its present form. The only other firm to declare an intention to become involved in the buy-out is Intergraph Inc, and its plans are in doubt after opposition from major shareholders and some managers – who argue that it would be cheaper to switch to another chip rather than buy into Fairchild to save the Clipper.