Japan’s trade data show that China accounted for half of its exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, equipment parts and flat-panel display equipment in the first quarter ended March.

The total value of Japan’s exports of related equipment to China surged 82% from a year earlier to 521.2 billion yen ($3.32 billion), the highest level since 2007.

In July last year, Japan began to implement export controls on cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing equipment, requiring Japanese companies to obtain approval from the Ministry of Trade to ship manufacturing equipment for cutting-edge semiconductors (such as 14-nanometer and below logic chips) to destinations other than friendly countries.

The surge in Japanese exports to China is partly due to Chinese companies scrambling to buy equipment during the restrictions. Chinese customs data showed that China imported $5.2 billion of chip manufacturing equipment from the rest of the world in September last year, up about 50% year-on-year, with imports from Japan and the Netherlands also increasing.

But Yoshimasa Maruyama, an analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities, said: “The current trend cannot be fully explained by last-minute demand.”