TSMC to hold board meeting in Kumamoto in 2026: NDC head

Taipei, Aug. 22 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is planning to hold a board meeting in January or February 2026 in Kumamoto, Japan, according to National Development Council head Liu Chin-ching (劉鏡清).

Speaking with Japanese reporters from Kyoto Shimbun and Kyodo News during his recent trip to Japan, Liu, who represents the Cabinet's National Development Fund on TSMC's board, said TSMC will discuss its production plans in Japan at the planned board meeting.

It will be the first time TSMC will hold a board meeting in Japan, after holding one in Arizona in February 2025, the first time it held such a meeting in the United States in its 37-year history.

Currently, the National Development Fund is TSMC's largest single shareholder, holding a 6.38 percent stake in the chipmaker.

When Japanese reporters raised concerns that TSMC's plan to expand its investment in Arizona to US$165 billion from the original US$65 billion would affect its investment plan in Japan, Liu said the importance of TSMC's production hub in Kumamoto would not be compromised by the U.S. investments.

In Kumamoto, TSMC's first fab has been in mass production since the end of 2024. It has delayed construction of a second fab that was supposed to break ground in the first half of 2025, leading to speculation that it might be because of TSMC's activities in the United States.

TSMC has said, however, that the delay was due to residents complaining of traffic congestion caused by the company's move into the Kumamoto area.

Liu stressed, however, that TSMC's revised plan to break ground on the second fab in the second half of the year will not be changed.

The company has also made the same commitment, though it has said it will also depend on progress made in developing the city's transportation infrastructure.