Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will ask top executives of seven global semiconductor companies, including South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, Taiwan’s TSMC, the U.S.’s Intel and Micron Technology, to invest in Japan, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. Prime Minister Kishida will meet with executives of major semiconductor companies around the world at the Prime Minister’s residence in Tokyo on the 18th and ask for investment in Japan and connection with Japanese companies. Prime Minister Kishida will meet with seven chairmen and CEOs of major companies, including Taiwan’s TSMC, the US’s Intel, IBM, Micron Technology, Applied Materials, Korea’s Samsung Electronics, and Belgium’s R&D agency, Imec.He also reported, “As the importance of semiconductors increases in terms of economic security, the intention is to strengthen the competitiveness of the Japanese semiconductor industry.” However, no specific list of attendees was reported.Taiwan’s TSMC is the world’s No. 1 foundry (semiconductor consignment production) market, and U.S. Applied Materials is the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturing equipment company. Samsung ranks first in memory, and Intel ranks first in the PC CPU market. IBM and IMEC are not global top manufacturers in the semiconductor field, but they are working with Lapidus, a next-generation Japanese semiconductor company.
Japan was the strongest in the global semiconductor market in the 1980s, but has since been pushed out by the emergence of Samsung Electronics and TSMC. Currently, it is the second-largest semiconductor manufacturing equipment market after the U.S. and is still the No. 1 in materials and parts. Japan intends to increase overall semiconductor competitiveness by strengthening links with global semiconductor companies by utilizing the strengths of materials, parts, and equipment.Currently, TSMC is working with Sony Group to build a high-tech semiconductor plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, and Micron of the U.S. is expanding its plant in Hiroshima Prefecture. Intel and Samsung Electronics are also considering establishing a R&D base and a post-process semiconductor line in Japan, respectively.
Chang Young Choi
US ASIA JOURNAL
