To: Moonray who wrote (10439 ) 12/10/1997 5:59:00 PM From: Glenn D. Rudolph Respond to
SIA: FOREIGN CHIPS' SHARE OF JAPANESE MARKET HITS RECORD 35.8%
Futures World News - December 10, 1997 14:05
STOCK CURRENCY FINANCIAL ECONOMY GOVERNMENT V%FWN P%FWN
San Jose, Calif.-Dec. 10-FWN--FOREIGN SHARE OF THE Japanese chip market rose to a record high of 35.8%, as U.S. and other non-Japanese semiconductor-producing nations continued to make inroads into Japan's market during the second quarter of 1997, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported today.
The new quarterly share figure represents a 3.2 percentage-point increase from the 32.6% mark recorded during the first quarter.
"The increase in foreign share in Japan demonstrates the competitiveness of U.S. semiconductors as well as the value of building cooperative relationships between foreign semiconductor makers and their Japanese customers during the past few years," said SIA President George Scalise from Tokyo. "Through our semiconductor agreements with Japan, American and other foreign chip makers have been able to establish relationships in Japan that made this progress possible."
The United States and Japan signed semiconductor agreements in 1986, 1991 and 1996. The 1996 U.S.-Japan semiconductor agreements call for the continuation of cooperative activities between Japanese chip buyers and their foreign customers. The agreements also call for cooperation on a variety of other issues, including intellectual property protection and environmental initiatives.
"This announcement is a testament not only to the hard work of U.S. and other foreign chip makers in the Japanese market, but also to the efforts of our Japanese counterparts," Scalise said. "Both sides should be proud of the progress they have made over the past few years. Our continuing cooperation provides a great benefit to the consumers around the world who purchase electronics."
The market share figure, which was calculated by the Department of Commerce, was announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative in Washington earlier today.
