A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, prompted major semiconductor corporations including TSMC to inspect production facilities and evacuate employees. No structural damage to key equipment has been confirmed so far, but some plants and construction sites have halted operations in case of aftershocks, and the global semiconductor supply chain is closely watching the situation.
According to local media including the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 29th, TSMC evacuated all employees from the JASM first plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, immediately after the quake and conducted safety checks of production equipment and buildings. After confirming there were no structural abnormalities, employees returned in stages, but construction of the second plant under way was temporarily suspended in preparation for aftershocks.
Tokyo Electron, a semiconductor manufacturing equipment company, also stopped operations at its business sites in Koshi and Ozu in Kumamoto Prefecture and carried out facility safety checks. So far, no damage has been confirmed to buildings or core equipment.
Mitsubishi Electric is checking employee safety and equipment conditions at its power semiconductor plants in Koshi and Kikuchi, and Sony is also confirming whether there was any damage at its semiconductor production base in Kikuyo. Renesas Electronics is likewise checking operating conditions at two plants in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The auto industry was also partly affected. Honda temporarily halted production at its motorcycle plant in Ozu after sprinklers activated during the quake, causing leaks and flooding. Bridgestone also stopped operations at its Kumamoto plant and began safety inspections. Toyota Motor and Daihatsu Motor temporarily suspended production at some plants in the Kyushu region and are restarting them in stages.
Japan's Kyushu region, including Kumamoto, is home to a concentration of semiconductor corporations such as TSMC JASM, Sony, Renesas, and Tokyo Electron, and is called the "Silicon Island." While the industry says no large-scale equipment damage has been confirmed so far, it notes that if aftershocks continue, there remains a possibility of wider production disruptions and supply chain impacts.