Japan and U.S. aim for chip supply chain deal with PM Suga's visit, Nikkei says

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and the United States will cooperate on the supply of critical parts for chips, aiming for an agreement when the leaders of both countries meet later this month, the Nikkei newspaper said on Friday.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is due to become the first foreign leader to visit the United States since President Joe Biden took office. The meeting, originally scheduled for April 9, has been pushed back until April 16, Japan's chief cabinet secretary said.

At a regular news briefing, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed the timing of the visit and said it would be the first by a foreign leader since Biden took office.

The visit comes as the global shortage of semiconductors has squeezed U.S. automakers and other manufacturers, forcing them to cut production. The issue has become important for policymakers, who worry about economic and security risks from the shortage.

Officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan are expected to discuss concerns about the shortage at a meeting on Friday, a senior U.S. administration official said.

"It would be fair to say our three countries hold many of the keys to the future of semiconductors manufacturing technology and we will seek to affirm the importance of keeping these sensitive supply chains secure," the official told reporters.

Suga is now expected to leave Japan on April 15 and depart Washington on April 17, two government sources told Reuters.

The meeting with Biden was postponed because of circumstances on the U.S. side, the Nikkei said.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami, Yoshifumi Takemoto and David Dolan; Additional reporting by Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Matthew Lewis)