Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry...

Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry asked 24 major companies to buy more foreign-made computer memory chips after the Reagan Administration lifted punitive tariffs against the Japanese. MITI made the request in a meeting with representatives from Kyocera Corp. and other major Japanese semiconductor users, officials said. MITI is scheduled to make a similar request today to officials from 22 other companies. Semiconductors are the tiny electrical circuits that are the backbone of computers and other electronic equipment.