Japan's recent restrictions on photoresist exports to 42 Chinese companies raise alarms for China's semiconductor industry, heavily dependent on foreign technology. Analysts warn this blockade could regress China's production capabilities by five to ten years, particularly affecting mobile and automotive chips. Japanese firms Canon and Mitsubishi Chemical, among others, ceased core material supplies, creating a "tech blockade" alongside Dutch ASML. China's $300 billion investment in domestic chip manufacturing has yielded minimal progress, leaving its tech industry vulnerable.