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.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
RSS