CEO who drove $7 billion deal is eyeing Japan chip linchpin JSR

Resonac Holdings’ chief executive officer is gearing up for another round of consolidation in Japan’s fragmented chip materials sector, saying the chemicals maker may raise its hand to buy a stake in linchpin JSR.

Japan Investment’s $6 billion buyout of JSR, the world’s largest maker of photoresists, will catalyze much-needed change in the country’s supply chain when the state-owned fund seeks an exit, Hidehito Takahashi said. Resonac is considering ways to play an active role in JSR’s future, he said.

“I believe we are the most logical partner for JSR,” said the executive who orchestrated Showa Denko’s purchase of the bigger Hitachi Chemical in 2020 that led to the formation of Resonac. “It will be expensive, so we have to think about how we’d do it, but we want to get involved.”