“Kurofune” came to Kumamoto The shock of starting TSMC February 26th 16:45
Smartphones, home appliances, cars...
Semiconductors are essential to the products that are familiar to us.
TSMC, a Taiwanese company that is the world's largest contract manufacturer of semiconductors, has completed its first huge factory in Japan in Kikuyo Town, Kumamoto Prefecture.
Its presence is so large that it has been compared to a "black ship," and the local community is excited about the economic ripple effect it will have.
However, as I walked around the site, I began to see the reality that I couldn't be happy about it.
This is the latest report from the field.
(Kumamoto Broadcasting Station reporter Isao Watanabe/Director Keikazu Hirokawa/Reporter Kengo Takeda)
Complete!
TSMC new factory
Kikuyo Town, with a population of over 43,000, is located near Kumamoto City and north of Kumamoto Airport.
TSMC's huge new factory can be seen beyond the cabbage field.
The site area of over 200,000 square meters is equivalent to 4.5 Tokyo Domes.
The investment amount is approximately 1.29 trillion yen in Japanese yen.
The new factory was finally completed, and an opening ceremony was held on February 24th.
Charismatic founder also attended
Also present at the venue was a person known as the charismatic founder of TSMC.
Mr. Morris Zhang.
The company was founded in 1987.
It was a time when Japanese semiconductors were taking the world by storm.
How do you feel about expanding into Japan almost 40 years later?
After reflecting on his memories with the late Akio Morita, one of Sony's founders, Mr. Zhang said the following.
Zhang Zhongmo
: ``I think (the new factory) will make it possible to further strengthen the resilience of semiconductor supply for Japan and the world.It is also my hope that Japan's renaissance of semiconductor manufacturing will continue.'' ), and I have high hopes for it."
Afterwards, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Saito gave a greeting.
The Japanese government will provide up to 476 billion yen in subsidies for TSMC's new factory.
He emphasized the significance.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Saito
: ``Japan's semiconductor industry boasted the largest market share in the world in the 1980s.However, since then, efforts by both the public and private sectors have fallen behind the trends of the times, and we must face up to the reality that our competitiveness has declined.'' The Japanese government has reflected on what it should have done, and has resolved to swiftly and radically rebuild the country."
Expectations rise for economic ripple effects
Kyushu Financial Group, a local banking group headquartered in Kumamoto City, estimates that the economic ripple effect that TSMC's new factory will have on Kumamoto Prefecture will amount to more than 6.8 trillion yen over 10 years (until 2031). Masu.
Additionally, the private think tank Kyushu Economic Research Association has announced an estimate that the economic ripple effect over 10 years (until 2030) will reach approximately 20 trillion yen due to capital investment in Kyushu's semiconductor industry, including TSMC.
The completely changed scenery of the town
The “black ship” called TSMC is completely changing the scenery of the town.
The nearest station to the new factory is JR Hohi Main Line's "Haramizu Station."
It is an unmanned station with no station staff, and although it used to be quiet, it has become crowded with many passengers during rush hours, and lines can form.
When I listen to their stories, Taiwanese people stand out.
Approximately 1,700 people, including those seconded from related companies, will work at the new factory.
It appears that there are many cases of people moving from Taiwan with their families.
In light of population growth, JR Kyushu has decided to build a new station, aiming to open in spring 2027.
Additionally, there is a boom in the construction of condominiums in and around Kikuyo Town.
According to the "Land Price Survey" published in September last year, the rate of increase in residential land in Kikuyo Town reached 21.6%.
A local real estate company says it has received an unprecedented request from a corporation that wants to rent an entire apartment building.
Three issues that have come to light
Kikuyo Town is a place where you can feel a bubble-like enthusiasm everywhere.
However, as the interview progressed, I realized that I couldn't necessarily be happy about it.
There are three challenges:
・Labor shortage
, farmland conversion
, environmental conservation
“Understaffed”
The first point is "lack of manpower."
Currently, competition for human resources among companies in Kyushu is becoming more intense.
As the population continued to decline, one move by TSMC became the trigger for the competition.
That is ``a starting salary of 280,000 yen for a university graduate.''
The rate is more than 30% higher than the average for the manufacturing industry in Kumamoto Prefecture, and there is a growing sense of crisis among local companies that not only new graduates but also current employees may be taken over by TSMC.
Among these, business hotels in Otsu Town, which is close to the TSMC factory, are seeing an increase in business customers as semiconductor-related companies move into the hotel, but they are having trouble securing front desk staff.
Although the company has been recruiting staff since last year and raised the starting salary by 20,000 yen to 200,000 yen, only a few people applied.
We are currently working with a minimum number of people.
Norito Narita, Manager, Hotel Vista Kumamoto Airport
: ``The truth is that we are operating on the bare minimum staff.There are so few applications that we are having trouble thinking about hiring in the future.The occupancy rate of guest rooms is quite low.'' Although the trend is increasing, we are struggling because we are having a difficult time attracting the human resources to respond to this trend."
There is a shortage of "specialized human resources" in the semiconductor industry.
Under these circumstances, there is a movement to educate employees in-house and have them acquire knowledge.
A semiconductor-related company headquartered in Mashiki Town, Kumamoto Prefecture has been conducting reskilling training over several months for employees who joined the company without specialized knowledge.
If it is difficult to obtain specialized human resources, we can try to develop them ourselves, even if it takes time.
Employees receiving training
: "This is my first time working in the semiconductor industry. There was a lot of work that I didn't understand once I started working, so the training was very helpful and I'm grateful."
Masaya Kudo, President of Mystia
: "I think it's important to study hard again. We need to take on the challenge of advanced business by reskilling."
“Agricultural land conversion”
The second point is "conversion of agricultural land."
After TSMC decided to move into the area, there has been a flurry of conversion of farmland locally.
Emi Tsuda (55) runs a dairy farm in Otsu Town.
She has more than 250 cows, but she worries that with less farmland they won't be able to produce enough feed.
Mr. Tsuda has been producing feed on approximately 25 hectares of farmland, including leased land.
However, in response to requests from landowners, they say they have returned approximately 3 hectares so far.
Furthermore, with the town planning to develop an industrial park, he says that unless new farmland is secured in the future, the total amount of feed produced could decrease by 30%.
Importing feed from overseas increases costs, which inevitably takes a toll on business.
Dairy farmer Emi Tsuda
: ``My family has discussed it several times, and I think closing down is one option.I'm worried about it now.With the arrival of TSMC, things are happening too fast.'' And we haven’t been able to keep up.”
"Environmental protection"
The third is "environmental conservation."
Semiconductor-related factories generally use large amounts of water for cleaning and other purposes.
TSMC's new factory will also use a lot of water, and it is expected that approximately 10,000 tons of wastewater will be produced per day.
The wastewater flows through underground pipes to the Kumamoto Northern Purification Center in Kumamoto City, approximately 10 kilometers away.
After disinfecting and processing the water, it will be released into the nearby Tsuboi River, but the center will sample and test the water three times a month before releasing it, and will publish the results on the prefecture's website.
Meanwhile, in August last year, Kumamoto Prefecture investigated the water quality in areas where semiconductor-related companies are located in Taiwan, and found that some areas did not meet Japanese standards.
The prefecture intends to force TSMC to comply with Japanese wastewater standards.
Shinya Yuge, manager of the Kumamoto Prefecture Sewage Environment Division, which manages the center, said,
``We will ask them to comply with standards based on Japanese law.We will also confirm and monitor whether we are complying.''
TSMC launch and local confusion
Traffic congestion in and around Kikuyo Town has become a serious problem, affecting the lives of local people.
In February, TSMC also announced plans to build a second factory in Kumamoto Prefecture.
It is said that the plan is to produce advanced semiconductors of 6 to 7 nanometers, which cannot be manufactured in Japan today, and there are speculations that the planned construction site will be near the current first factory.
It goes without saying that Japan needs to establish economic security.
On the other hand, there are some people who are confused and worried about the future due to the rapid and drastic changes that TSMC's expansion will bring to the region.
I would like to continue to conduct research that allows me to look into Japan's future by walking around the sites where the "black ships" came and listening carefully to the voices of the people.
(Broadcast on “News 7” etc. on February 24th)
Kumamoto Broadcasting Station reporter
Isao Watanabe Joined
the station in 2012
After working in the economics department of the Wakayama station, he is currently
in charge of reporting on prefectural government and the economy.
Kumamoto Broadcasting Station Director
Keikazu Hirokawa Joined
the station in 2022
Previous job was real estate management
Since 2023, current position
Kumamoto Broadcasting Station reporter
Kengo Takeda
Joined the station in 2019
Kumamoto is
in charge of prefectural government after working at the Aso branch, etc.