24) The Appearance of the Second Black Ship – TI’s Advance to Japan

  
Sony’s Masaru Ibuka signing a joint venture establishment with TI

In 1964, a declaration was made by Texas Instruments (TI) to open IC factories in Japan. As for the semiconductor industry in Japan, the peaceful atmosphere at the time was disturbed by the appearance of this black ship (Kuro-fune, American ships that came to Japan in the 19th century to open up the country which had previously closed itself to the outside world).

At this time, Japan was still in the age of germanium in full swing, although the production of silicon transistors had also started. It was feared that if TI were to come into the Japanese market at this timing, Japan’s IC manufacturing would fall to America’s before it could show its full potential.

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), which was afraid of such a situation, continued to postpone a conclusion, but in May 1968, 4 years later, they concluded with conditions: ① to establish a fifty-fifty joint venture company with Sony , ② that TI fully open their patents to Japanese industry, and ③ that the newly created company will be a complete subsidiary of TI after 3 years, and so on.

The photograph is of Sony President Masaru Ibuka signing a joint venture establishment with TI. To the right is TI Chairman, P. Haggerty, and to the left in the back row is Sony Vice President, Akio Morita.

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