
Yageo says it will protect technology if Shibaura purchase succeeds
TAIPEI/TOKYO (Reuters) -Taiwan's Yageo said it will implement strict controls to prevent technology from leaking if it succeeds in acquiring Japan's Shibaura Electronics, responding to concerns in Japan over what the deal could mean for national security.
Chairman Pierre Chen told reporters in Taipei on Saturday that the company will meet with Shibaura in mid-June in Tokyo to discuss potential cooperation.
Yageo, the world's largest maker of chip resistors, launched an unsolicited tender offer for Shibaura in February, seeking full control of the Japanese firm, which specialises in thermistor technology.
Yageo offered to buy Shibaura at 4,300 yen per share, valuing the company at more than 65 billion yen ($450 million).
Spurning Yageo's overture, Shibaura tapped Japanese components supplier Minebea Mitsumi as a white knight. Minebea and Yageo entered a bidding war, with the latter now offering 6,200 yen. The stock closed at 6,100 yen on Friday.
"Our strategy is to inject resources and strengthen R&D for advanced technologies. We're also preparing to make larger investments to expand their facilities in Japan," Chen said.
Asked about Japan's national security concerns, he said: "We will implement strict controls to ensure technology does not leak."
Unsolicited takeovers were once rare in Japan, where companies often mounted elaborate defences. The Japanese industry ministry's M&A guidelines in 2023 cracked down on what it considered excessive defence tactics, de-stigmatising unsolicited buyouts and leading some of such deals to succeed.
Chen said that negotiations with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had been going smoothly.
He said that if Yageo acquires Shibaura, the deal would address a gap in its portfolio of thermistors, making Yageo's offerings more complete for global customers and helping Shibaura expand its access to markets outside of Japan.
Yageo said it aims to ease the burden of managing smaller component suppliers for its major clients, including Apple and Nvidia, by offering more comprehensive product portfolios and solutions.
Yageo is also the world's number three manufacturers of multilayer ceramic capacitors and provides key components used in Apple's iPhones, Nvidia's AI servers, and Tesla's electric vehicles.
($1 = 144.8500 yen)
(Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee in Taipei and Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo; Editing by William Mallard)

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
Checkmarx Report: AI-Generated Code Soars, But Security Practices Fall Behind
BUSINESS KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Checkmarx, a leader in agentic artificial intelligence (AI)-powered application security, has released the findings of its annual 'Future of Application Security in the Era of AI' report, highlighting a growing disconnect between AI-driven development and security governance. Findings revealed that AI-generated code is fast becoming mainstream, with half of respondents using AI security code assistants. About 34 per cent reported that over 60 per cent of their code is AI-generated, yet only 18 per cent have governance policies in place. The rapid shift to AI-assisted development is raising concerns about developer accountability and expanding the attack surface. The survey also noted growing business pressure that is leading organisations to take risks. More than 80 per cent knowingly shipped vulnerable code, while 98 per cent experienced a breach linked to insecure code over the past year, compared with 91 per cent in 2024. Checkmarx vice-president for Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, Nitin Dang said fast-growing markets often prioritise speed in order to capture opportunities, sometimes at the expense of security. 'Our research shows that under-utilisation of essential application security practices, combined with the rush to deliver, often results in vulnerabilities making it to production,' he said in a statement. In the coming 12 to 18 months, 32 per cent of respondents expect breaches through application programming interfaces (APIs), particularly via shadow APIs or business logic attacks. However, fewer than half deploy basic security tools such as dynamic application security testing (DAST) or infrastructure-as-code scanning. Despite widespread industry discussion on DevSecOps, only half of organisations reported active use of core tools, with 51 per cent of North American companies adopting DevSecOps practices. The report outlined six strategic priorities to close the security readiness gap — moving from awareness to action, embedding code-to-cloud security, governing AI use in development, operationalising security tools, preparing for agentic AI in application security, and promoting developer empowerment. The report release comes after Checkmarx announced the general availability of its Developer Assist agent, which integrates with AI-native development environments such as Windsurf by Cognition, Cursor and GitHub Copilot. The tool provides real-time, context-aware issue detection and guidance for developers.


The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Current IP laws may not be equipped to deal with rising use of AI in arts, says MyIPO
PETALING JAYA: With the rising usage of artificial intelligence (AI) in the arts, Malaysia's current intellectual property (IP) laws may be ill-equipped to deal with the potential legal challenges of these AI-generated works, says the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO). MyIPO deputy director-general (operations) Yusnieza Syarmila Yusoff said this was due to existing IP law being designed only for human artists which may result in possible gaps in future legal IP protection due to AI. 'The existing laws that govern trademarks, patents, copyrights, industrial designs and layout designs were enacted during a time when only human contribution was the foundation of creativity. 'However, the rapid development of AI has created gaps that need to be addressed, especially in identifying who should be recognized as the owner for AI-based works,' she said at a press conference after launching the National Dialogue on Intellectual Property (IP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Monday (Aug 18). Other concerns Yusnieza raised included whether AI-generated creation should even be protected under copyright or patent law. She added that recognising AI-generated works could also affect the originality and distinctiveness of the art industry as creative works are produced at the click of a button. To help develop a solution to this issue, she said platforms like the National Dialogue on IP and AI were key to understanding the situation before considering any drastic changes in IP law. Key discussions of the dialogue will focus on the possible recognition of works fully generated by machines and the role of AI in creating patents and designs among other topics. The one-day dialogue hosted over 350 stakeholders and experts in the field of IP and AI which included government agencies, policymakers, legal practitioners, industry players, researchers and academics. 'MyIPO will use this dialogue to generate valuable input and forward-thinking perspectives to assist our ongoing efforts to strengthen our IP ecosystem in line with the realities of the digital age and AI. 'Malaysia must be ready to engage in the growing global discourse of AI-generated works and IP laws, and shape policies that are both progressive and aligned with our national priorities,' Yusnieza said.


New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Google agrees to pay US$36mil fine over anti-competitive deals with Aussie telcos
SYDNEY: Google agreed on Monday to pay a A$55 million (US$35.8 million) fine in Australia after the consumer watchdog found it had hurt competition by paying the country's two largest telcos to pre-install its search application on Android phones, excluding rival search engines. The fine extends a bumpy period for the Alphabet-owned internet giant in Australia, where last week a court mostly ruled against it in a lawsuit brought by Fortnite maker Epic Games accusing Google and Apple of preventing rival application stores in their operating systems. Google's YouTube was also last month added to an Australian ban on social media platforms admitting users aged under 16, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the video-sharing site. On anti-competitive tie-ups with Australian telcos, the country's consumer watchdog on Monday said Google struck deals with Telstra and Optus, under which the tech giant shared with them advertising revenue generated from Google Search on Android devices between late 2019 and early 2021. Google admitted the arrangement had a substantial impact on competition from rival search engines, and has stopped signing similar deals while also agreeing to the fine, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) added. "Today's outcome ... created the potential for millions of Australians to have greater search choice in the future, and for competing search providers to gain meaningful exposure to Australian consumers," ACCC Chair Gina-Cass Gottlieb said. Google and the ACCC have jointly submitted to the Federal Court that Google should pay the A$55 million fine. The court must still decide if the penalty is appropriate, the ACCC said, but the cooperation between the regulator and Google has helped avoid lengthy litigation. A Google spokesperson said the company was pleased to resolve the ACCC's concerns which involved "provisions that haven't been in our commercial agreements for some time." "We are committed to providing Android device makers more flexibility to pre-load browsers and search apps, while preserving the offerings and features that help them innovate, compete with Apple, and keep costs low," the spokesperson added. Google owns Android. A Telstra spokesperson referred Reuters to an earlier statement saying it and Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications, had fully cooperated with the ACCC and promised not to sign agreements with Google to pre-install its search product since 2024.