Japan to tighten export rules for tech materials to S.Korea amid wartime labour row

Japan will tighten restrictions on the export of high-tech materials used in smartphone displays and chips to South Korea in connection with a dispute over a South Korean ruling on war-time forced labour, the industry ministry said on Monday.

Tighter export controls, effective from July 4, would slow the export process, potentially affecting South Korean tech giants such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and LG Electronics.

The measure comes as Japan has grown frustrated with what it sees as a lack of action by Seoul to address issues related to the top court ruling last October, which ordered Nippon Steel to compensate for forced labour during World War Two.