author

 
 

Meta

Cagan Koc
For Cagan Koc's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Xi slams technological barriers during Dutch premier’s visit
The U.S. is urging the Netherlands to stop ASML from servicing and repairing sensitive chipmaking equipment purchased by Chinese clients.
Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), speaks at an election night party in The Hague, Netherlands, on Nov. 22, 2023. The resounding victory of far-right ideologue illustrates the shift in public opinion in the Netherlands since 2022.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 27, 2024
Populism is scaring away big businesses in the Netherlands
Among the various firms uneasy with the current state of affairs in the Netherlands, tech companies are the most influential.
Lauded in China as a major leap in indigenous semiconductor fabrication, last year’s SMIC-made processor powered Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro and a wave of patriotic smartphone-buying in the Asian country.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 9, 2024
Huawei chip breakthrough used tech from two U.S. gear suppliers
The report suggests that China still cannot entirely replace certain foreign components and equipment required for cutting-edge products.
A chip taken from a smartphone. The U.S. is urging the Netherlands to stop ASML from servicing and repairing sensitive chipmaking equipment that Chinese clients purchased before limits on sales of those devices were put into place this year.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 7, 2024
U.S. urges allies to squeeze China further on chip technology
Washington's latest push is partly aimed at plugging holes in export controls it has levied over the past two years.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally on Saturday. Many were alarmed by Trump’s comments that he would "encourage” Russia to attack U.S. allies that didn’t pay into NATO, but European leaders were already pondering the prospect of an alliance without the U.S.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2024
Once-bitten Europe is better prepared for Trump’s NATO tirades
The EU is quietly preparing an impact assessment of the November U.S. election — particularly the scenario in which Trump wins.
The U.S. push to undermine Beijing’s semiconductor ambitions has increasingly singled out ASML, drawing the ire of the Dutch company's outgoing head Peter Wennink and some local lawmakers.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 26, 2024
ASML’s China sales surged despite secret Dutch deal with U.S.
The deal, which hasn’t been reported before, stumbled as ASML turned to Beijing to compensate for weak demand elsewhere.
Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' prime minister, during an interview on day two of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17
WORLD / Politics
Jan 22, 2024
Rutte’s backers are pushing to lock him in as NATO’s next leader
The Dutch leader is already the strong favorite to succeed current Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg when his term ends in October.
The ASML headquarters and factory in Veldhoven, Netherlands
WORLD / Politics
Jan 2, 2024
U.S. pushed Dutch tech company to block Chinese sales
ASML had licenses to ship three top-of-the-line deep ultraviolet lithography machines to Chinese firms until January, when new Dutch restrictions took full effect.
PVV leader Geert Wilders' far-right, anti-Islam party has won a stunning victory in the Dutch election, a political bombshell that will resound in Europe and around the world.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 23, 2023
Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders scores shock election victory
The influx of refugees since the Russia-Ukraine war, and the spiraling cost of food and energy, has fueled support for far-right groups across Europe.
A highway runs through Saudi Arabia's arid landscape. A new horticulture project marks the biggest food-tech investment for the country, whose extreme summer temperatures have long left it reliant on food imports.
WORLD
Aug 7, 2023
Saudi city of future enlists Dutch help to grow crops in desert
The Netherlands is now the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter after the U.S., despite being one of Europe’s smallest nations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2023
ASML hit with new Dutch limits on chip gear exports to China
The new export-control regulation will force ASML to apply for export licenses for shipment of some advanced deep ultraviolet lithography systems.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 15, 2023
Germany is experiencing a mass worker shortage. Can migration fix it?
About 320,000 more people will reach retirement age this year than become adults, meaning the German economy will lose workers while also having to pay more for pensions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 28, 2023
ASML, Europe’s most valuable tech firm, is at the heart of the U.S.-China chip war
The tech firm practically owns the market for a critical piece of equipment needed to produce the brains of everything that makes modern life possible.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Feb 18, 2023
ASML’s big bet on China is starting to backfire over data thefts
After new revelations about data theft linked to China, questions are now mounting over the risks associated with doing business with the country as calls for new controls grow.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2023
U.S. poised to get Dutch and Japanese help with China chip crackdown
The Japanese and Dutch export controls may be agreed to and finalized as soon as the end of January, although they are not expected to go as far as Washington's measures.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 13, 2022
Japan to join U.S. efforts to tighten chip exports to China
Japan will likely announce soon that it will adopt at least some of the measures the U.S. rolled out in October to restrict the sale of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 8, 2022
Netherlands plans curbs on China tech exports in deal with U.S.
The move is a step toward bulking up U.S. efforts to limit Beijing's chipmaking and military ambitions.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores