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.