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Business Daily

Business Daily

Can an island of flowers become a global chip hub?

22 January 2026

17 minutes

Available for over a year

Forty years ago Japan made more than half of the world's semiconductors. Today, it produces just over 10%. But the country has big ambitions to turn that around.

We hear from the CEO of a company at the centre of the government's high-stakes gamble to revive its semiconductor industry, and more broadly, its tech power.

And we'll learn how the island of Hokkaido is now the site of billions in investment to turn what has long been an agricultural powerhouse into a global chip manufacturing hub.

If you'd like to contact the programme, our email address is [email protected]

Presenter: Suranjana Tewari

Producer: Jaltson Akkanath Chummar

(Picture: A lavender field and colourful flower garden in Hokkaido, Japan. Credit: Getty Images)