On April 23, 2026, the Nikkei 225 crossed 60,000 intraday for the first time in history. We compare this milestone with the 1989 bubble peak at 38,915 yen, examining USD-based performance, the foreign ownership shift from 5% to 32.4%, the PER drop from 60x to 16x, and the heavy concentration in just a handful of AI and semiconductor stocks like SoftBank Group, which surged 9.6%.
Three weeks after the March 27 three-way merger announcement, Japan's power semiconductor reshuffle has accelerated. Denso declared its semiconductor-maker ambitions in CORE 2030, Rohm's CEO asserted leadership, Toshiba eyes re-listing, and Mitsubishi Electric opened a new Fukuoka plant. A timeline update.
Japan's METI announced a $377M subsidy for Sony's new image sensor factory in Kumamoto on April 17. With $1.13B total investment and production starting May 2029, this is Japan's counter-strike against Samsung's bid to break Sony's iPhone monopoly and capture the booming AI-camera and self-driving car sensor markets.
Tokyo-based Orbray has produced the world's largest 30mm square (111) freestanding diamond single-crystal substrate, leaping from the previous few-millimeter limit. The twin-suppression breakthrough, published in Applied Physics Express, unlocks NV-center quantum sensors and next-generation power semiconductors.
Nine months after the Japan-EU BRT proposal, the rare earth landscape has transformed: 55-nation pricing agreements, an EU center modeled on Japan's JOGMEC, and $1.3B US funding. But can the West truly break China's grip?
Japan's METI officially approved an additional $4 billion for Rapidus, bringing total government support to $15 billion. We analyze Japan's 2nm chip ambitions alongside the US CHIPS Act, EU Chips Act, TSMC's Kumamoto expansion, and the critical challenge of finding customers.
TDK will manufacture TMR sensors for Apple in the U.S. for the first time as part of Apple's expanded American Manufacturing Program, with $400 million invested through 2030. We examine how Trump-era reshoring pressure is reshaping supply chains for Japanese component makers including Murata and Taiyo Yuden.
Japan's March 2026 startup funding ranking saw Startale Japan ($530M) and AI & AND ($500M) lead. With Pharos Network's $44M raise backed by Sumitomo and only ~9 unicorns vs. a 100-company target, we examine where Japan's ecosystem stands globally.
The shutdown of Qatar's LNG facilities due to Middle East conflict has wiped out 30% of global helium supply. Without helium, dry etching, essential for all advanced chips, physically cannot function. South Korea's memory makers face a 5-month countdown, and the U.S. no longer has a strategic reserve to cushion the blow.
Japan's FSA is considering allowing foreign banks to join syndicated loans without establishing local branches. The reform aims to channel overseas capital into AI and semiconductor sectors, boosting Tokyo's competitiveness as a global financial hub.
Ritsumeikan University startup Patentix raised $1M in Series A1 funding to accelerate germanium dioxide (GeO2) power semiconductor development, a next-gen material that could outperform SiC and GaN.
AIST developed a voltage-induced static magnetization switching method using artificial antiferromagnets, enabling stable writing across a wide pulse-width range for voltage-driven MRAM. Published in Nature Materials, this breakthrough could lead to ultra-low-power memory for AI and IoT devices.
Global chip sales hit $88.8B in Feb 2026, up 61.8% YoY. Yet Japan is the only region with 9 consecutive months of decline. We analyze the structural reasons behind Japan's stagnation amid the AI-driven global boom.
A Japanese research team has achieved what was considered impossible for over a century: creating a transparent, millimeter-sized bulk piece of amorphous alumina. With a dielectric constant of 11.3, surpassing sapphire, and a novel pentahedral pyramid structure, this JACS-published breakthrough could reshape semiconductor and capacitor materials.
Renesas Electronics' Intersil-brand radiation-hardened ICs are aboard NASA's Artemis 2 crewed lunar mission, powering critical subsystems in the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket. Discover the 60+ year heritage behind these space-grade chips and what Japan's role in the $1.8 billion rad-hard semiconductor market means for the future of space exploration.
UK activist fund Palliser Capital has become a top-25 shareholder of Ajinomoto and is demanding a 30%+ price increase for its ABF semiconductor insulation material. We explore how a food company holds near-100% global market share in chip packaging and what the activist wave means for Japanese corporations.
Japan's AIST has established ASiST, a new consortium bridging chip design, front-end, mid-process, back-end, and packaging. Learn how it fits into Japan's semiconductor revival alongside Rapidus and competes with U.S. and EU chip strategies.
Rohm has achieved its NEDO-funded technical target for 8-inch SiC MOSFETs two years ahead of schedule, demonstrating over 50% power loss reduction versus conventional silicon IGBTs. We explore what this means for EVs, renewable energy, and Japan's power semiconductor consolidation race involving Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric, and Denso.
Fujitsu will develop a fully domestic AI semiconductor (NPU) using 1.4nm process technology, with manufacturing outsourced to Japan's national chipmaker Rapidus. Backed by Japan's Ministry of Economy, the move leverages supercomputer Fugaku's energy-efficient technology. We analyze Japan's semiconductor revival strategy vs. the US CHIPS Act, EU Chips Act, and Korea's K-Chips initiative.
Rapidus CTO Kazunari Ishimaru says Japan's startup chipmaker aims to close the technology gap with TSMC to just six months at the 1nm generation. We analyze Rapidus' 2nm mass production timeline, IBM partnership, Hokkaido fab progress, $19B in government backing, and Japan's chances of rejoining the cutting-edge semiconductor race.