Taiwan plans to establish a center in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, to promote investment and trade with Japan in the semiconductor and artificial intelligence industries, economic minister Kuo Jyh-huei said Tuesday.
In addition to helping Taiwanese companies enter the Japanese market, the center will work to strengthen Taiwan-Japan semiconductor supply chain cooperation and expand industrial applications in areas such as AI, robotics and drones, Kuo was quoted by his ministry as telling a group of Japanese business leaders and governors.
Provided by Kyodo News
Both sides complement each other, with Taiwan at the core of the global semiconductor supply chain and the Kyushu region, which includes Fukuoka, serving as a key chip industry hub in Japan, the minister said.
Sumio Kuratomi, chairman of the Kyushu Economic Federation and leader of the delegation, said Japan has worked to strengthen cooperation with Taiwanese companies, according to Taiwan's economic affairs ministry. He told reporters he welcomes the center, saying it "bolsters the local chip sector."
The world's largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., started mass production at its first factory in Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu at the end of last year, while construction of its second factory is expected to begin later this year.