The government will likely lift its strict export controls on semiconductor materials and other items to South Korea if Seoul withdraws a complaint lodged with the World Trade Organization against Japan, government sources said.
Tokyo is considering lifting the ban with an eye toward the possible settlement of the issue of lawsuits regarding former wartime requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula.
In July 2019, the Japanese government tightened its controls on exports to South Korea of three semiconductor-related items. In August the same year, Japan removed South Korea from its list of nations with "white country" status: countries given preferential treatment through simplified export procedures.
