Semiconductors are increasingly important from the perspective of economic security. The Japanese government is scrambling to attract investment in Japan by major foreign manufacturers to revive the Japanese chipmaking industry.
Top executives of seven world semiconductor makers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC), Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea and Intel Corp. of the United States, gathered for an unusual meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on May 18.
During the meeting, an executive from U.S. firm Micron Technology, Inc. expressed the intention to invest up to 500 billion yen for development and mass production in Japan over the next several years, and other attendees told Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that they would consider expanding their investments and opening bases in Japan.
