Sony Semiconductor Solutions will resume output at its quake-stopped Kumamoto plant in phases starting Aug. 4, targeting a return to pre-disaster capacity by mid-August, as the semiconductor sector works to restore operations after a maximum intensity-7 tremor struck the region.
Renesas Electronics restarted production at its Nishiki plant on July 29 and aims to reopen its Kawaishi facility by Aug. 5. Mitsubishi Electric partially resumed work at two Kumamoto sites on July 30, while Ebara restarted its semiconductor equipment plant in Nankan the same day. Tokyo Electron expects its two Kumamoto factories to recover early next week, and Sony Group restarted plants in Nagasaki and Oita on July 29. JASM, the TSMC unit in Kikuyō, confirmed building safety but said equipment calibration will take time. TOPPAN Holdings' Tamana plant remains shut.
Logistics remain disrupted: Yatsushiro Port, one of Kyushu's few harbours handling the hazardous chemicals needed for chipmaking, has halted all operations due to soil liquefaction, ground subsidence, and cracking, with no repair timeline.