Japan's export curbs on South Korea: 5 things to know

Global economy awaits fallout from Tokyo's blow to Samsung and other makers

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While not as extreme as Trump's seemingly endless sanctions, the controls imposed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, are sure to inflame tensions with South Korea and President Moon Jae-in. (Nikkei photo illustration/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)

MITSURU OBE, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Japan tightened controls on the export of semiconductor materials to South Korea on July 4. The move could hit the country's tech industry and economy hard, as memory chips account for a fifth of South Korea's exports. The global economy is also bracing for the effects, with a slowdown looming in the production of smartphones, displays and many other devices that rely on South Korean electronics.

Here are five things you should know about Japan's controls:

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