New fab planned for 2027 deepens collaboration
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TSMC's first fabrication plant in Japan is delivering benefits that extend beyond chip production, strengthening economic, business and cultural ties between Taiwan and Japan as the company moves ahead with plans to expand its Kumamoto operations.
TSMC’s Japan venture, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, is a joint venture with Sony Group and Toyota Motor Corp. The first Kumamoto fab opened in February 2024 and began mass production later that year. A second, more advanced fab is planned to come online in 2027, per CNA.
The Kumamoto facilities mark TSMC’s first dedicated wafer fabs in Japan, outside its core bases in Taiwan, the US and Europe.
The second fab is expected to produce semiconductor wafers primarily using a 6-nanometer process, more advanced than the technology used at the first Kumamoto plant. At a previous online investor conference, TSMC Chair and President C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said mass production timelines would depend on customer demand and market conditions.
Located east of the first plant, the second Kumamoto fab will manufacture advanced chips used in applications such as autonomous driving and artificial intelligence. It is expected to employ about 1,700 people.
Combined with the first factory, the total workforce in Kumamoto will reach roughly 3,400.
TSMC’s continued investment is expected to transform Kumamoto into a major semiconductor manufacturing hub. The joint venture’s expansion is also driving broader two-way economic and cultural exchanges between Japan and Taiwan.
One example is Entremets Kaju, a pastry shop based in Kumamoto, which opened its first overseas outlet in Taichung in February. The company cited TSMC’s presence in Kumamoto as a key factor in choosing Taiwan, with initial sales showing promise, per Nikkei Asia.
TSMC’s expansion has also deepened cooperation with Japanese suppliers. Meistier, a Kumamoto-based maker of semiconductor production equipment, has expanded its operations in Taiwan by opening a new office in Tainan, aligning with TSMC’s diversification of production sites across the island.
Facing space constraints in Hsinchu, TSMC has been expanding capacity in Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. Meistier now employs about 300 engineers in Taiwan and supplies talent to the local semiconductor ecosystem.
By dispersing its operations across northern and southern Taiwan, the company aims to accelerate growth.
Kumamoto-based Higo Bank has also benefited from the semiconductor boom. The bank reported semiconductor-related lending totaling 310 billion yen (about US$2 billion, NT$62 billion) across 1,458 deals between April 2022 and September this year, per Nikkei Asia.
Higo Bank opened its Taipei representative office in June 2023 as its key overseas hub, aiming to track Taiwanese companies interested in expanding into Japan, particularly in the semiconductor sector. The bank provides services ranging from helping Taiwanese firms open accounts in Japan to assisting with factory site selection and introducing construction contractors.
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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TSMC's first fabrication plant in Japan is delivering benefits that extend beyond chip production, strengthening economic, business and cultural ties between Taiwan and Japan as the company moves ahead with plans to expand its Kumamoto operations.
TSMC’s Japan venture, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, is a joint venture with Sony Group and Toyota Motor Corp. The first Kumamoto fab opened in February 2024 and began mass production later that year. A second, more advanced fab is planned to come online in 2027, per CNA.
The Kumamoto facilities mark TSMC’s first dedicated wafer fabs in Japan, outside its core bases in Taiwan, the US and Europe.
The second fab is expected to produce semiconductor wafers primarily using a 6-nanometer process, more advanced than the technology used at the first Kumamoto plant. At a previous online investor conference, TSMC Chair and President C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said mass production timelines would depend on customer demand and market conditions.
Located east of the first plant, the second Kumamoto fab will manufacture advanced chips used in applications such as autonomous driving and artificial intelligence. It is expected to employ about 1,700 people.
Combined with the first factory, the total workforce in Kumamoto will reach roughly 3,400.
TSMC’s continued investment is expected to transform Kumamoto into a major semiconductor manufacturing hub. The joint venture’s expansion is also driving broader two-way economic and cultural exchanges between Japan and Taiwan.
One example is Entremets Kaju, a pastry shop based in Kumamoto, which opened its first overseas outlet in Taichung in February. The company cited TSMC’s presence in Kumamoto as a key factor in choosing Taiwan, with initial sales showing promise, per Nikkei Asia.
TSMC’s expansion has also deepened cooperation with Japanese suppliers. Meistier, a Kumamoto-based maker of semiconductor production equipment, has expanded its operations in Taiwan by opening a new office in Tainan, aligning with TSMC’s diversification of production sites across the island.
Facing space constraints in Hsinchu, TSMC has been expanding capacity in Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. Meistier now employs about 300 engineers in Taiwan and supplies talent to the local semiconductor ecosystem.
By dispersing its operations across northern and southern Taiwan, the company aims to accelerate growth.
Kumamoto-based Higo Bank has also benefited from the semiconductor boom. The bank reported semiconductor-related lending totaling 310 billion yen (about US$2 billion, NT$62 billion) across 1,458 deals between April 2022 and September this year, per Nikkei Asia.
Higo Bank opened its Taipei representative office in June 2023 as its key overseas hub, aiming to track Taiwanese companies interested in expanding into Japan, particularly in the semiconductor sector. The bank provides services ranging from helping Taiwanese firms open accounts in Japan to assisting with factory site selection and introducing construction contractors.
TSMC's Kumamoto fab boosts Taiwan-Japan ties beyond chips | Taiwan News | Dec. 21, 2025 12:15
New fab planned for 2027 deepens collaboration | Dec. 21, 2025 12:15