Japan Inc is bracing for more trade friction with the US over semiconductor imports after figures cam out showing that November imports of chips were 12.3% of the total used in Japan, down from 12.6% for the three months to June: that figure was a big improvement on the 10.3% in early 1986, but the target is 20% by 1990; Japanese manufacturers argue that they can’t do more, finding that US suppliers are frequently unwilling to meet delivery dates, don’t make the chips they need, and that with boom times at home are not keen on getting into the hassle of exporting to Japan.
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