The Japanese government will begin restricting exports of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China in the spring after amending a currency law to allow the change, Kyodo News reported on Saturday.

The new rules will not specifically mention China in an attempt to reduce the risk of retaliation by Beijing, according to the report, which did not specify where it obtained the information.

Japan and the Netherlands have agreed to join the United States in curbing shipments of semiconductor manufacturing equipment produced by companies including Nikon Corp and ASML Holdings (AS:ASML) in a bid to prevent China from developing advanced chips that could be used to boost its military power, sources told Reuters, confirming earlier reports from several media outlets.

However, Washington is the only country that has acknowledged the existence of the agreement and has not yet released details of the equipment that will be restricted.