TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Economics Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) said Taiwan will establish a trade and investment center in Kyushu to support Taiwanese manufacturers in Japan. 

On Tuesday, Kuo met with a Japanese delegation of representatives from the Kyushu Economic Federation, per CNA. Kuo said that semiconductor supply chain cooperation between Taiwan and Japan is expected to extend to industrial applications such as AI, robots, and drones.

KEF head Kuratomi Sumio said TSMC's investment in Japan through two fabs in Kumamoto has spurred the country's semiconductor industry and driven industrial cooperation between Taiwan and Japan. Kuo said that to deepen AI and semiconductor cooperation between the two sides, the economic ministry will set up a center in Kyushu’s northern region of Fukuoka to aid Taiwanese firms’ expansion.

In addition, Kuratomi said the region adopted the "Silicon Island Kyushu" development plan last year, which places the semiconductor industry at its core. The plan seeks to deepen cooperation with Taiwanese companies to strengthen infrastructure, talent, and innovation.