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Mackenzie Hawkins
For Mackenzie Hawkins's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The TSMC plant in Phoenix, Arizona. The chipmaker's projects in Arizona have become increasingly entwined with U.S. President Joe Biden’s campaign message on revitalizing the economy.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 9, 2024
TSMC gets $11.6 billion in U.S. grants and loans for chip plants
TSMC’s projects in Arizona have become increasingly entwined with Biden’s campaign message on revitalizing the economy.
People visit the Huawei stand at the 2024 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2024
U.S. weighs sanctioning Huawei’s secretive Chinese chip network
Any move would come after the Chinese telecom giant notched a significant technological breakthrough last year.
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.
The logo of semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices is seen on a graphics processing unit chip in this illustration
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 5, 2024
AMD hits U.S. roadblock in selling AI chip tailored for China
AMD had hoped to gain a green light from the Commerce Department to sell the AI processor to Chinese customers.
Copies of the Apple Daily newspaper, published by Next Digital Ltd., at the company's printing facility in Hong Kong on Nov. 5, 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024
In Trump-Biden rematch, the only sure loser is China
Trump’s rhetoric may pressure Biden to take harsher measures in the run-up to election day — bad news for China’s economy and slumping stock market.
The Microsoft logo hangs beside an illuminated iCloud icon at the CeBIT 2017 tech fair in Hannover, Germany.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 30, 2024
U.S. wants cloud firms to flag foreign users in China AI race
The White House proposal, released Monday, requires the firms to reveal foreign customers’ names and IP addresses.
An employee inspects integrated circuit boards at a factory in Suzhou, China.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2023
U.S. to scrutinize Chinese chipmakers as Biden mulls tariffs
Over 100 companies in various sectors to be surveyed on their procurement and use of legacy chips
Up until very recently, the business of packaging semiconductors — encasing chips in materials that both protect them and connect them to the electronic device they’re part of — was, at best, an afterthought for the industry.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 22, 2023
A new front is opening up in the U.S.-China conflict over chips
The process of packaging semiconductors is increasingly seen as the "secret sauce" — a path toward achieving higher performance.
Washington is taking steps to prevent U.S. chipmakers from circumventing government rules in order to sell to China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 16, 2023
U.S. to tighten rules aimed at keeping advanced chips out of China
The Biden administration is aiming to close loopholes that might help its geopolitical rival gain cutting-edge technologies.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy speaks at the Capitol after he was ousted as speaker of the House, in Washington on Tuesday. The ouster is without precedent in modern U.S. history and leaves the chamber without a leader, plunging it into chaos.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 4, 2023
U.S. House speaker ouster means more chaos as shutdown fight looms
Kevin McCarthy lost his post after hardliners in his party revolted over his compromise with Democrats to avert government shutdown.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 30, 2023
Taiwan is pushing Biden for a tax deal that could infuriate China
Taiwanese officials are pushing hard for an agreement to eliminate the burden of double taxation, but the U.S. can't sign a treaty to do so amid concerns of angering Beijing.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 10, 2023
Long COVID may be to blame for surge in women with disabilities
Women are disproportionately affected by long COVID, a health condition that is still little understood and can be debilitating.

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