Japanese Scholar: Anti-dumping Measures Have Significantly Impacted Japan's Semiconductor Industry and Local Economies
On September 10, Professor Tomohiko Nakamura from the Department of Economics at Kobe International University wrote an article stating: China initiated temporary anti-dumping measures on August 8, imposing a deposit as high as 99.2% on "dichlorosilane" manufactured in Japan. The measure mainly affects companies such as Shin-Etsu Chemical.
Nakamura stated: For Japan, large-scale domestic semiconductor production is currently being actively promoted and invested in. Restrictions on exports in the semiconductor materials sector, along with trade friction, will not only affect corporate profits but also impact domestic investment and supply chain restructuring.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has preliminarily determined that Japan’s “dichlorosilane” is being dumped, and has already taken action requiring importers to submit deposits equivalent to 80.8%–99.2% of the import value. Dichlorosilane is a special gas used in semiconductor manufacturing for film formation. The Japanese government has lodged a protest with China and will assess the impact of this measure on relevant Japanese enterprises.
In 2025, South Korea surpassed Japan to become China’s largest source of imported dichlorosilane. Prior to this, China had mostly sourced dichlorosilane from Japan. In July 2026, China’s imports of dichlorosilane from Japan reached $2.6 million, accounting for approximately 33% of China’s total imports of dichlorosilane.
Meanwhile, although Japan’s exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China peaked in 2024 and began declining in 2025, China remains Japan’s largest export destination for such equipment. According to trade data from Japan’s Ministry of Finance, the total export value of “semiconductor manufacturing equipment” reached 4.5472 trillion yen in 2025, with exports to China amounting to about 1.9 trillion yen, or 42% of the total.
In other words, there is strong mutual dependency between China and Japan in both semiconductor manufacturing equipment and semiconductor materials. There is also deep interdependence in semiconductor products, electronic components, and raw materials.
If trade friction continues to escalate, it will not only affect materials but could also impact semiconductor products themselves and related manufacturing equipment. Factories receiving large-scale investments by Japan in regions such as Hokkaido and Kyushu will be affected, severely impacting regional economic revitalization and development.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875927461266444/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author