JAPAN MOVES TO TIGHTEN CHIP-EXPORT CURBS The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) acted to tighten restrictions on microchip exports to countries other than the U.S. To preserve a U.S.-Japan pact on semiconductor trade, but major Japanese chipmakers doubt its usefulness. A MITI spokesman said his ministry had asked chipmakers to issue certificates to specified trading houses stating they are authorised exporters. Trading houses applying for a MITI export licence will be required to show such a certificate, but those without it will not automatically be denied licences, he said. But some industry officials predicted any government measures were likely to have limited effect as long as the world semiconductor market remained weak. U.S. Government and industry officials have complained repeatedly that Japanese chipmakers continue to sell at below cost to third countries despite the July agreement. Japanese firms and officials in turn argue the flow of cheap chips to third countries is due to grey-market sales by third-party brokers, who seek to profit from the gap between low prices in Japan and higher prices based on production costs and set for Japanese makers under the agreement. The MITI spokesman said, "If the percentage of grey market is increasing for one specific company, it suggests they are distributing their products through their sales network knowing they will be exported by some means. In that case we will ask them what they are doing to reduce the figure." MITI earlier asked makers to cut output of certain chips by 10 pct in first-quarter 1987, spokesmen for the firms said. But they doubt the usefulness of the latest move. "As long as there is a gap between prices set under the pact and market prices, there will be people who want to exploit the gap to make money," a Hitachi Ltd <HIT.T> spokesman said.