On August 3, 2026, Taiwan media ETtoday reported that Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai (Zhuo Rongtai) expressed the view that cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in the semiconductor field is a "strongest tag team."

The article reported that when Premier Cho attended the "2026 Taiwan-Japan Semiconductor Technology Forum" held in Taipei on the 3rd, he stated that Taiwan has strengths in semiconductor manufacturing, chip design, and information and communication technology (ICT) integration, while Japan is world-class in materials, equipment and facilities, and precision manufacturing.

He also conveyed that he emphasized that a "strongest tag team" can be realized, likening the partnership between the two sides to the "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre," the strongest paired weapons appearing in Wuxia novels.

According to the article, Mr. Cho referred to the specific achievements and economic impact of semiconductor cooperation between the two countries. He introduced that TSMC's investment in Kumamoto, a major Taiwanese semiconductor contract manufacturer, is a large-scale project with a total investment exceeding 25.8 billion US dollars (approximately 4 trillion yen), and that Taiwan's 2026 integrated circuit (IC) industry production value is expected to reach a record high of 8.445 trillion New Taiwan dollars (approximately 41 trillion yen), a 29.5% increase year-on-year.

He also touched upon the high degree of economic interdependence, with the trade volume between Japan and Taiwan amounting to 84.8 billion US dollars (approximately 13.3 trillion yen), and Japan being Taiwan's 4th largest trading partner while Taiwan is Japan's 3rd largest.

Mr. Cho further pointed out that semiconductors are not merely a single industry but an issue directly linked to national development and economic security. He cited the establishment of the "Taiwan-Japan Semiconductor Technology Promotion Association" in 2024 and the consistency between the "17 strategic fields" recently presented by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in her growth strategy and the "13 strategic industries" put forth by Taiwan's Executive Yuan, expressing the view that these will serve as important foundations for strengthening cooperation between the two sides.

Furthermore, he indicated a policy to jointly build a resilient, secure, and reliable "democratic supply chain" between Japan and Taiwan, while maintaining a high-quality investment environment. (Edited and translated by Kawajiri)