35) The Beginnings of “Japan Bashing”
The article, “The Japanese Spies in Silicon Valley” which was published in
Fortune magazine
“The Japanese Spies in Silicon Valley” - It was in the February 27, 1978 issue
of the American economic magazine "Fortune" that posted this shocking
article.
According to the magazine, "Silicon Valley is a friendly and peaceful
place in general, but now it is full of anxiety and insecurity due to Japanese
commercial attacks." "Japanese firms have placed local branch offices
in Silicon Valley, collecting information openly or confidentially and buying
samples of innovative products, which they send to Japan. "" Many
of these Japanese people are pretending to be legal in dealing with US manufacturers,
and doubts have arisen that they are being too enthusiastic in their behaviors.
They are new kind of people whom we should call ‘semiconductor Samurai’ and
they are also called ‘Tigers’, severely criticizing the behavior of Japanese
companies.
At that time, Intel Chairman Robert Noyce also commented that "they (the
Japanese) are coming for our throats, and we must realize this and take countermeasures."
Industry officials including Noyce and others formed the “Semiconductor Industry
Association of America” (SIA) in March of the previous year (1977), and the
US side's offensive against Japan rapidly increased from that point.
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