Half of Japan's new chip fabs still shy of mass production

Renesas, Rohm and Kioxia await demand recovery for non-AI semiconductors

20250519N chip circuit board

Demand for semiconductors for smartphones and other devices has been sluggish. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)

RYO MUKANO

TOKYO -- Only three of the seven semiconductor plants that companies built or bought in Japan in fiscal 2023 and 2024 have begun mass production as of April, reflecting a slow recovery in demand for chips used in applications other than artificial intelligence.

Japan is among the countries working to build up domestic semiconductor production amid heightening U.S.-China tensions.

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