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Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

bbc.com

81–90 of 485 posts

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#81
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China has started border skirmishes with India every twenty years or so since the founding of the PRC. And then there's Tibet. Just because they haven't initiated a mass invasion of Eastern Siberia you shouldn't get the idea China isn't pursuing an expansionist foreign policy.

China maintain the view that Tibet is part of China since the establishment of PRC, and they make this very explicit. Same for their border disputes with India. China never admitted that they believe it's not theirs. Mea while China does not ever say that Japan or Korea is part of China (and it's the only reason why they keep North Korea from collapsing despite it being super annoying). So, again, any example of Chin…

North Korea is a buffer zone. That's the reason.

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#82
post #78

As a European I have to say I am extremely jealous of a government with the willingness of doing something as radical as this. Europe desperately needs to secure its own semi conductor supply chain. Neither the EU nor any member states seems willing to do anything about this though. Europe still is in a position, where it feasibly could control 100% of the semiconductor value chain on the continent. But besides meani…

At least European countries excel at introducing new regulations and taxes.

Yeah. Who wants to be a military superpower or a manufacturing superpower, when they could be a regulatory superpower.

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#83

As a European I have to say I am extremely jealous of a government with the willingness of doing something as radical as this. Europe desperately needs to secure its own semi conductor supply chain. Neither the EU nor any member states seems willing to do anything about this though. Europe still is in a position, where it feasibly could control 100% of the semiconductor value chain on the continent. But besides meani…

They would have to include the UK and it would actually be a good European project (not just EU) to maybe bring them back into the fold.

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those unfamiliar with the history, Taiwan’s (ROC) own constitution says it is part of China. Its dispute is with the CCP, not China itself. Conflating the PRC vs ROC conflict with a China vs Japan conflict is just ignorant.

That is, the constitution written by the KMT dictatorship that was awarded the island as spoils of war after the Japanese surrendered to the Allies in WW2. In the present day, neither the Taiwanese government nor Taiwanese people are in some kind of dispute with the CCP over who owns Gansu province or whatever, they just would like recognition of their already-existing sovereignty.

That's a little misrepresenting history... Taiwan was part of the Qing Empire and Japan took it in 1895 following China's defeat in the first Sino-Japanese War. China got it back after WWII.

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#85

As a European I have to say I am extremely jealous of a government with the willingness of doing something as radical as this. Europe desperately needs to secure its own semi conductor supply chain. Neither the EU nor any member states seems willing to do anything about this though. Europe still is in a position, where it feasibly could control 100% of the semiconductor value chain on the continent. But besides meani…

This is a good initiative from Japan's government. On the other side, their bet on hydrogen is probably a very expensive blind alley.

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#86
post #2

Is Hokkaido defensible? Once China solves the Taiwan problem they're going to turn their sights on Korea and Japan.

If we aren’t already in a world war from China solving Taiwan as you say, we would be in one from China taking Korea or Japan.

I don't know. China is pretty successful so far in "solving Ukraine" by propping up the moth infested bear pelt USSR animatronic that is Russia.

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#87
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least European countries excel at introducing new regulations and taxes.

Yeah. Who wants to be a military superpower or a manufacturing superpower, when they could be a regulatory superpower.

One of our problems (EU citizen here too) is the delusion that because everyone in the world wants access to European markets, everyone will bend their knees to our regulations and we can effectively dictate the world's standards.

Given that our market share on the global economy is dropping steadily, this won't hold forever. By 2040 or so it might be more advantageous for Asian producers to just avoid our bureaucratized space altogether.

Already this year we had a showdown with Qatar over some ESG reporting and we lost handily, because we needed their gas more than they needed our money.

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#88

As a European I have to say I am extremely jealous of a government with the willingness of doing something as radical as this. Europe desperately needs to secure its own semi conductor supply chain. Neither the EU nor any member states seems willing to do anything about this though. Europe still is in a position, where it feasibly could control 100% of the semiconductor value chain on the continent. But besides meani…

> Europe still is in a position, where it feasibly could control 100% of the semiconductor value chain on the continent.

That's not possible. There are just too many different parts going into semiconductor production and they're scattered around the world.

Case in point: the source of the best semiconductor-grade quartz is located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina and while there exist alternatives, for cost-competetiveness you want that.

Hilariously enough it belongs to Sibelco, which is a Belgian company, but it's still US territory, so subject to local politics.

Re: Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub

#90
post #2

Is Hokkaido defensible? Once China solves the Taiwan problem they're going to turn their sights on Korea and Japan.

> Once China solves the Taiwan problem they're going to turn their sights on Korea and Japan. China will not annex Japan or South Korea. As a Chinese person, I can assure you that this is not how our mindset works at all. Most of the Western media hype about this is deliberately designed to muddy the waters around the Taiwan issue. Taiwan is different: the vast majority of people there are ethnically Chinese, so reun…

> That cost is simply too high; no one in China wants to pay it

China was happy to invade Tibet and assimilate it's population.

Hard to believe that a government who claims all of South China sea, large parts of India (Arunachal Pradesh) does not want to expand.

Or do you think people of Arunachal Pradesh are also Chinese?

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