Japan market share-cropping

Electronic News, March 22, 1993 by Jack Robertson

If the early soundings show that foreign semiconductor sales in the next quarter did move up significantly, then the U.S. is back in the same tightrope-walking dilemma: keeping pressure up on Japan without undoing gains that have been made.

Come September the official second quarter market share figures will be shadowed by the early sounding of sales in the third quarter. By that time it will be clear to both sides whether the long persistent market access problem is being solved in Japan--or it is Showdown time.

The best way to avoid this semiconductor Armageddon is for both sides to do what they long vowed should happen: increase markedly the number of foreign device design-ins in Japan (with resulting sharp increase in longterm sales), making foreign semiconductors a strategic part of Japanese products and systems, making alliances and partnerships pay off in meaningful level of sales, penetrating the Japanese automotive industry and second and third tier Japanese electronic firms with significant sales.

Time is running out...