In terms of advanced semiconductor materials, Japanese companies account for about 50% of the global share. As TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, builds a factory in Japan, Japan’s demand for the semiconductor materials and equipment industry is also expanding.
Mitsubishi Chemical has now announced that it will build a new semiconductor materials factory in Japan, which will be put into operation as early as fiscal year 2024 (Note: as of March 2025), mainly producing polymer materials for photoresists (photosensitive materials). Together with the existing base, Mitsubishi Chemical expects to double its production capacity.
The investment in the new factory is expected to reach several billion yen. The production location will be finalized in the future, and factories in Fukuoka Prefecture will be candidates.
For reference, Japan began to restrict the export of three key semiconductor materials: high-purity hydrogen fluoride, fluorine-containing polyimide, and photoresists to South Korea in July 2019, and lifted the restrictions on March 16 this year.
According to reports, these three materials are key materials for South Korea’s semiconductor and display industries. As of 2019, Japan accounts for as much as 90% of the global production of fluorinated polyimides and photoresists, and in the high-purity hydrogen fluoride market, Japan accounts for about 70%. Japan’s restrictions on the export of these materials to South Korea have severely impacted South Korea’s semiconductor and other industries.
