Japanese teens explore Taiwan's chip industry at summer camp

YUNLIN, Taiwan (Kyodo) -- A group of 30 Japanese high school students embarked on a six-day summer camp in July to explore Taiwan's semiconductor industry. The camp, organized by the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, aimed to encourage Japanese students to study and work in Taiwan's booming tech sector. During the camp, the students were introduced to various aspects of the industry, including drone operation and visits to a semiconductor research facility backed by the Taiwanese government.

One participant, Yugo Yamada from Sapporo Nihon University High School, expressed his enthusiasm for the camp, stating, "I joined because I like Taiwan and building electronic devices. I was also glad to visit TSMC." Another student, Sora Takahashi from Shizuoka Prefectural High School of Science and Technology, said, "I would like to attend the university and learn more about semiconductors."

The camp's success is evident in the over twice the number of applications received compared to the available slots. The growing presence of TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, in Japan has also piqued the interest of some students. TSMC initiated mass production at its first factory in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture in 2024 and is set to build a second plant adjacent to it, with operations expected to commence by the end of 2027.