''This demonstrated to the Japanese that America is not a paper tiger,'' said Jerry Sanders, the chief executive of Advanced Micro Devices, when asked about the effects of the sanctions. ''It demonstrated that the U.S. semiconductor industry is a sacred industry here.'' [ Japan's Trade Minister, Hajime Tamura, yesterday urged the country's largest chip makers and users to increase their imports of semiconductors made in the United States, Reuters reported. He made the request before talks this week in which Japanese officials will try to persuade the United States to lift the sanctions imposed last month. ] A third surprising development, according to experts here and in Japan, is a subtle change in attitude among Japan's electronics giants. Under increasing profit pressure on many fronts, the companies appear to be tiring of the hundreds of millions of dollars in losses generated by their semiconductor divisions during the chip market-share wars with the United States.