Japanese Chemical Companies Pursue Local Operations in Taiwanese, South Korean Semiconductor Materials Markets

摘要

A host of Japanese chemical companies are placing significant focus on local operations in Taiwan and South Korea, both of which are home to major semiconductor material companies. One such Japanese chemical company here is Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183), which established an ICT business planning office this April under a Taiwanese subsidiary engaged in the sale of electronics and information materials. Materials o?ered by the company in this field include the likes of protective tape for silicon wafer backgrinding, camera lens materials for smartphones and pellicles to protect photomasks in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process. Mitsui Chemicals’ ICT materials have previously been scattered throughout multiple business divisions; more recently, however, the company has been working on restructuring to bring these all together under a single ICT business.