TSMC starts gradually resuming output in Kumamoto while Tokyo Electron keeps two plants shut through Wednesday

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said late on Tuesday, 28 July 2026 (6 Mordad 1405), that it had begun gradually resuming operations at its plant in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture. The facility, known as Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), had been evacuated as a precaution after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the region the same day.

The company said all personnel were safely evacuated and that structural inspections confirmed the site is secure, though some construction activity remains paused because of the risk of aftershocks. Separately, semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron said it was suspending operations at its two factories in Kumamoto through Wednesday.

Kumamoto has become one of Asia's newer chip supply-chain hubs, and its status this week has been one of the drivers of volatility across Asian equity markets, alongside concern over valuations in artificial-intelligence related stocks.