After China cut off the supply of tungsten raw materials, Fujitsu Seiko's orders have plummeted, directly affecting Japan's weapons production!
According to a report by the Chinese version of Nikkei News, on April 14, Fujitsu Seiko issued an official announcement stating clearly that due to China's tightened export controls on rare metals, the supply of tungsten powder—key raw material for the company’s cutting tools business—has been severely disrupted. Simply put, tungsten powder imported from China is no longer coming in.
In the announcement, Fujitsu Seiko mentioned that their previously placed orders for tungsten powder have been blocked at customs since early this year, and as of now, there is still no timeline for resuming imports. They have no idea when they might receive the goods. For Fujitsu Seiko, which relies heavily on tungsten powder for production, this is undoubtedly a fatal blow.
Tungsten powder is not just an ordinary raw material—it is crucial to Fujitsu Seiko’s core business. The company mainly produces cutting tools such as drill bits and reamers, and tungsten powder is essential for manufacturing these high-precision tools. Without it, production lines cannot operate normally, and products simply cannot be made.
With raw materials blocked from entering, production has stalled, leading inevitably to a sharp drop in orders. Fujitsu Seiko itself has provided its financial outlook: for the fiscal year ending February 2027, the company’s consolidated net profit is expected to plummet by 88.5% year-on-year, leaving only 80 million yen—roughly equivalent to RMB 4 million. For a publicly listed precision tool enterprise, such a dramatic decline is virtually catastrophic.
Some may wonder: how can a company producing cutting tools affect Japan’s weapons production? The connection is actually very direct. Tungsten is a critical material in military industry, and Fujitsu Seiko’s cutting tools are indispensable equipment for Japan’s weapon manufacturing.
Tungsten has a high melting point, great hardness, and excellent resistance to deformation, making it widely used in military applications—from penetrator cores in main battle tank ammunition to key components in aviation engines. Manufacturing these defense components requires highly precise cutting tools, and Fujitsu Seiko is one of Japan’s primary suppliers of such tools for the defense industry.
Japan has long been advancing its defense industry development. Whether upgrading F-15J fighter jets or developing hypersonic missiles, large quantities of high-precision cutting tools are needed to process parts. Now, due to the shortage of tungsten powder, Fujitsu Seiko cannot produce cutting tools, so orders cannot be fulfilled, directly disrupting part processing at Japanese defense enterprises and forcing delays in weapons production schedules.
Fujitsu Seiko has attempted to resolve the issue—for example, by pursuing procurement of alternative ultra-hard materials and seeking other sourcing channels for tungsten powder. However, so far, these efforts have yielded little success. Stable supply volumes remain uncertain, and the quality of substitute materials cannot yet meet the requirements of defense production.
In fact, China’s enhanced export controls on tungsten and other rare metals are not intentionally targeted at Japan but are carried out in accordance with laws and regulations. According to China’s export control laws, rare metals like rare earths and tungsten have dual-use characteristics (civilian and military). Some overseas organizations have previously used materials imported from China for sensitive fields such as military applications, posing potential threats to China’s national security and interests. Therefore, China has strengthened controls—this is also a common international practice.
The reason Japan is hit so hard lies primarily in its excessive reliance on Chinese rare metals. Japan itself has extremely limited tungsten resources, importing over 90% of its needs from China, and there are currently no viable alternatives available in the short term. Importing tungsten powder from other countries not only comes at significantly higher prices but also involves greatly increased logistics costs. Moreover, their production capacity cannot keep up, leaving a huge gap unfillable. Building domestic tungsten powder production facilities would require massive investment and several years of time—far too slow to address immediate needs.
The crisis facing Fujitsu Seiko will trigger ripple effects. Beyond its own sharp earnings decline, potential layoffs and capacity reductions could follow. More importantly, Japanese defense and machinery manufacturers dependent on Fujitsu Seiko’s cutting tools will also be affected. Especially in defense, delayed weapon production will directly impact Japan’s so-called “national defense strengthening” plans, undermining its ambitions to re-arm.
Earlier, Japanese economic experts had warned that if China implements export controls on rare metals, multiple industries—including aerospace and defense equipment—would be among the first hit. Fujitsu Seiko’s current situation is the most direct manifestation of this risk, serving as a stark reminder to Japan: over-reliance on external core raw materials ultimately leads to vulnerability.
At present, Fujitsu Seiko’s tungsten powder supply issue appears unlikely to be resolved in the short term. The collapse in orders will continue, and the impact on Japan’s weapons production will become increasingly evident. This is not China deliberately targeting Japan, but rather a consequence of structural weaknesses in Japan’s industrial planning—over-dependence on imports means that any disruption in external supply inevitably results in self-inflicted damage.
China has always been a responsible major country. Its export controls aim to safeguard national security and interests, fulfill international non-proliferation obligations, and are not intended to disrupt global industrial and supply chains.
As long as regulations are followed, China will grant permits and is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties. But if Japan persists in pursuing military expansion and overly depends on foreign raw materials to develop its defense industry, it will ultimately end up shooting itself in the foot.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862529767504963/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.