Taiwan, Japan and the US are establishing closer trilateral cooperation in the semiconductor industry, forming a “semiconductor iron triangle,” a visiting former Japanese economics minister said on Monday.
Former minister of economy, trade and industry Yasutoshi Nishimura, a member of the lower house of the Diet, said during an interview that he came up with the phrase “semiconductor iron triangle” as the global semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has a presence in Japan and the US.
TSMC has a factory in Kumamoto and is building chip fabs in Arizona, Nishimura said, adding that the Arizona factory is using Japan-made manufacturing devices and materials.
Photo: screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
That is why the trilateral cooperation in building advanced semiconductors is heading in the right direction in enhancing global supply chains, he added.
With joint collaboration in advanced chips, Taiwan, Japan and the US can work closely in areas such as 5G, self-driving vehicles and generative artificial intelligence, he said.
Nishimura first proposed his “semiconductor iron triangle” idea during a speech to overseas Taiwanese in Japan on April 13.
Taiwan, Japan and the US need to closely unite to promote semiconductor development to jointly face an “archenemy that steals semiconductor technology for military use,” Nishimura said during that speech, apparently 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 goods, the visiting lawmaker also proposed closer Taipei-Tokyo exchanges in the energy sector.
Japan is set to take advantage of renewable energy and nuclear energy to ensure it has a sufficient power supply amid its push to advance new technologies, he said.
While Taiwan is phasing out nuclear energy, Taiwan and Japan can still work on renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, hydrogen energy and storage batteries, he added.
Nishimura headed a five-member parliamentary delegation from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party from Saturday through yesterday. He was joined by party representatives Kosaburo Nishime, Kazuo Yana, Hajime Sasaki and Ryusho Kato, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
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