Japanese Allegedly Withholding Technology: Japanese vendors of...

Japanese Allegedly Withholding Technology: Japanese vendors of chip-making equipment are withholding some of their most advanced technology from American companies as part of a national strategy to achieve worldwide dominance in computer chips, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.) alleged. At Bentsen’s behest, the General Accounting Office is investigating whether Japanese firms are systematically withholding key technologies, and a report is expected this summer. Bentsen said the evidence shows that leading chip equipment vendors--including Nikon, Canon and Tokyo Electron Ltd.--have made their best systems available only to Japanese companies, and that American firms must endure delays and premium prices when they are permitted to buy leading-edge equipment.