<Anchor> The

government decided to go through the WTO dispute resolution process again for Japan's export restrictions on semiconductor core materials, which began in July last year. The lawsuit process was temporarily suspended when the regulation resumed in November of last year, when regulation was continued for four months, and today (2nd), it is said to bring the matter back to the WTO.

[Na Seung-Sik / Head of Trade and Investment Dept., Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy:

We reached the judgment that it was difficult to see through the normal dialogue that was the condition of suspension of the WTO dispute resolution process. He said that it was a one-sided announcement and that he was sorry.

First, correspondent Yoo Seong-jae from Tokyo reports.

<Reporter>

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the ministry responsible for export regulation, said in detail that it would review the details of the announcement from the Korean side and examine specific responses.

Foreign Minister Motegi, however, did not hide the displeasure, emphasizing the continued dialogue between government authorities regarding export control.

[Motegi/Japan Foreign Minister: I think it's a pity that the Korean side has made a one-sided announcement.]

Japanese government spokesman Suga, Minister of Defense Suga, was reopened in three and a half years at the end of last year, and has been opened twice since then. It also revealed the possibility of reviewing the regulatory policy dialogue.

[Suga/Japan Minister of Defense: So far, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has been seriously responding, but I will not give any warning on how to proceed (for policy dialogue) in the future.]

Among these, Japanese high-tech materials companies are suffering from the prolonged export regulations of the Japanese government.

In fact, Stella Chemical, a high-purity hydrogen fluoride manufacturer, saw its net profit drop by 18% as its first quarter shipments fell 30% from the same period last year.

Concerns that the Japanese government is stimulating Korea's'de-Japan' trend and blocking Japanese companies' exports are spreading to other industries.

Still, the Japanese government is not releasing export restrictions because export restrictions are a political retaliation for compulsory mobilization, but Japan still denies it.

(Video coverage: Chulmin Han, Video editing: Junhee Kim) 

▶ 1 year of export restrictions… Afterwards, progress in Japan and self-reliance on the "social manager" is a long way.