Thoughts on the decline of Japanese semiconductors: Japanese media pointed out that they should learn from Taiwan to cultivate "independent and self-respecting" talents

Japan's semiconductor industry once accounted for more than 50% of the global market in the 1980s, but now it has fallen to less than 5%. At the same time, Taiwan, led by TSMC, has become the "core" of the global semiconductor supply chain. A Japanese commentary article believes that the root cause of this long-term decline is not necessarily insufficient investment, but also the failure to continuously cultivate talents who will lead the development of the next generation of industries and the failure of the social foundation to support innovation. It is recommended to learn from Taiwan to cultivate highly skilled talents with a spirit of "independence and self-respect."

The author of this article pointed out that the real gap between Japan and Taiwan is not just the amount of financial investment, but the "ideas" behind education and the "structure" that promotes social operations. If Japan wants to re-establish its competitiveness, it should learn from Taiwan how to cultivate highly skilled talents with a spirit of "independence and self-respect."

The article mentioned that when Huang Renxun, CEO of Huida, visited Japan in July 2026, he expressed his expectations and respect for Japan’s high technological strength. However, Taiwan, Huang’s birthplace, now occupies a key position in the global semiconductor supply chain with the help of companies such as TSMC. The global market share of Japan’s semiconductor industry has dropped from more than 50% in the past to less than 5% currently.

The article points out that the Japanese government and companies have actively promoted digital transformation (DX) and green transformation (GX) in recent years, but many talent cultivation measures still focus on instilling digital skills, focusing on how to reproduce existing answers more efficiently. The author believes that this model may not be enough to cultivate the next generation of talents who can truly create innovation when facing an era of high uncertainty.

The author further cites the spirit of "independent self-respect" proposed by Japanese thinker Fukuzawa Yukichi, which means not relying on others and being able to think and judge on your own. He believes that Japanese society has gradually forgotten this spirit, and the education system has long cultivated talents who are accustomed to obeying the existing system and following precedents.

The author said that he had taught in higher education institutions in Japan and Taiwan for 26 years, and used this experience to observe the differences in talent cultivation between the two places. He argued that if Japan wants to truly promote industrial transformation, it cannot just increase investment in equipment or strengthen technical training. It also needs to rethink educational concepts and the overall social structure, and cultivate talents who can think independently, face unknown problems and create new answers.

The article believes that Taiwan's semiconductor industry has achieved an important position in the global supply chain today, which reflects not only the investment capabilities of enterprises, but also the cultivation of talents and the social system that supports industrial development. For Japan, how to re-establish an environment that can nurture "independent and self-respecting" talents may be the real issue that needs to be faced when the semiconductor and technology industries regain their competitiveness.