A former Japanese economics minister visiting Taiwan yesterday said that Taiwan, Japan and the US are establishing closer trilateral cooperation in the semiconductor industry, forming what he called a "semiconductor iron triangle."
Former Japanese minister of economy, trade and industry Yasutoshi Nishimura, a current member of the lower house of the Japanese Diet, said he came up with the phrase "semiconductor iron triangle," because global semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has a presence in Japan and the US.
Photo: CNA
TSMC has a factory in Kumamoto, Japan, and is building chip fabs in Arizona, Nishimura said.
TSMC's Arizona factory is using Japan-made manufacturing devices and materials, he said.
That is why the trilateral cooperation in building advanced semiconductors is heading in the right direction in strengthening global supply chains, he added.
Nishimura said he hopes with collaboration in advanced chips, Taiwan, Japan and the US can work closely in areas such as 5G, self-driving vehicles and generative artificial intelligence.
Nishimura first proposed his "semiconductor iron triangle" idea during a speech to overseas Taiwanese in Japan last month.
During that speech on April 13, Nishimura said Taiwan, Japan and the US need to closely unite to promote semiconductor development to jointly face an "arch enemy that steals semiconductor technology for military use," referring to China.
The 62-year-old Japanese politician previously served as minister of state for economic and fiscal policy, and minister of economic revitalization. He promoted bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in the semiconductor industry while heading the economy and trade office from 2022 to 2023.
Other than semiconductors and high-tech, the visiting Japanese Diet member also proposed closer Taipei-Tokyo exchanges in the energy sector.
Japan is set to take advantage of renewable energy and nuclear energy to make sure it has sufficient power supply in pushing for the advancement of new technologies, he said.
While Taiwan is phasing out nuclear energy, Taiwan and Japan can still work on renewable energy resources including solar, wind, hydrogen energy and storage batteries, he added.
Nishimura is leading a five-member parliamentary delegation from Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from Saturday until today, during which he has met President William Lai (賴清德) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).
Nishimura is joined by four other LDP representatives: Kosaburo Nishime, Kazuo Yana, Hajime Sasaki and Ryusho Kato, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS