Lee Jae-yong Returns from Japan Business Trip... Expanding Steps Amid 'Tariff Pressure'

Only Smiles in Response to Questions About Japan Trip
Possible Meetings with Japanese Material and Component Partners
Seeking to Restructure AI and Semiconductor Supply Chains?

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong returned home after completing a business trip to Japan following his visit to China last month. Amid the Trump administration's 'tariff bombardment' and intensifying competition in artificial intelligence (AI), he appears to be accelerating his overseas management activities day by day.

On the afternoon of the 9th, Chairman Lee left the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, with a bright expression without giving any particular response to reporters' questions about his impressions of the Japan trip.

Chairman Lee departed for Japan on the 2nd and is believed to have stayed for seven nights and eight days, meeting with material and component partners in Japan. There is also speculation that he may have met with senior figures in the Japanese business community with whom he has had exchanges in the past.

Since the era of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee, Samsung has visited Japan directly to engage in exchanges timed with the end of the Japanese fiscal year on March 31 and the period when CEO appointments are made at Japanese companies. In 2023, Samsung hosted regular exchange meetings of 'LJF,' a gathering of Samsung's partner companies in Japan, at the Samsung Guest House Seungjiwon, strengthening networks with Japanese companies.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is answering questions from reporters on the afternoon of the 9th at the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Park Jun-i

Prior to the Japan trip, Chairman Lee visited China last month, touring Xiaomi's electric vehicle factory in Beijing and the headquarters of electric vehicle maker BYD in Shenzhen, raising interest in whether he sought to explore cooperation in the automotive electronics and electronic equipment business with Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Japan's Toyota Group. He previously met Chairman Akio, who visited Korea, at Everland Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in October last year, marking his second anniversary in office.

There is also speculation that he may have met with SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son. In February, Chairman Lee held a trilateral meeting with Chairman Son, who visited Korea, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, reportedly discussing cooperation in the AI field. Subsequently, on the 31st of last month, OpenAI secured funding of $40 billion (approximately 58 trillion won) from major global investors including SoftBank.

This Japan trip is also interpreted as a move aligned with efforts to reorganize AI and semiconductor supply chains amid the Trump administration's barrage of tariff policies. Samsung Electronics recently established the 'Advanced Packaging Lab (APL),' a semiconductor packaging technology research center in Japan, and is strengthening cooperation with Japanese material, component, and equipment companies.