Japan Earthquake Hits Kyushu; TSMC's JASM Fab Resumes Operations After Safety Checks

A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, killing at least three people, injuring around 30 others and trapping an unknown number of people after part of a shopping mall collapsed. Authorities briefly issued a tsunami advisory before lifting it.

The most serious damage was reported in Kagoshima Prefecture. In Kashima Town, the second floor of an Aeon Mall shopping centre collapsed following what NHK reported was likely a gas explosion triggered by the quake. Emergency crews continued search and rescue operations on Wednesday.

The earthquake also affected Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) facility in Kumamoto, one of the world's most closely watched chip manufacturing sites.

According to TSMC, the Kumamoto fab recorded a maximum seismic intensity of lower-5 on Japan's seismic scale after the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The company immediately activated its emergency response procedures, evacuating employees as a precaution.

TSMC said all personnel were accounted for and safe. Structural inspections have since confirmed that the fab buildings remain sound, allowing production operations to resume while detailed equipment inspections and impact assessments continue gradually.

The company added that the earthquake did not damage JASM's ongoing construction site. However, some construction work has been temporarily suspended due to the possibility of further aftershocks as a safety precaution.

The incident highlights both Japan's vulnerability to major seismic events and the importance of robust earthquake resilience measures at critical semiconductor manufacturing facilities. JASM, TSMC's first manufacturing plant in Japan, plays an increasingly important role in supplying mature-node chips for the automotive and industrial sectors.

Reference Sources

1. AP - A 7.1 magnitude quake hits Japan’s southern Kyushu island killing at least 3
2. NHK World - M7.1 earthquake strikes southwestern Japan
3. TSMC PR’s email response to CW English’s inquiry

AMD down 8pc, Nvidia nearly 5pc as China chip breakthrough report sparks US tech sell‑off

Dutch semiconductor company ASML Holding NV's shares fell by as much as 6.6% after a report that a Chinese State-Backed company has begun mass-producing certain chipmaking machines, which could present a potential threat to the Dutch firm's sales.

China's contribution to ASML's net system sales fell to 14% in the second quarter from 19% in the preceding three months.

China's chip industry could thereby speed up the development and production of processors, narrowing the gap with the most advanced US players, which are currently seen as superior.

The news comes amid a steep sell-off in global semiconductor stocks as investors continued to grapple with uncertainty about the sector.

Reference Sources

1. bloomberg - ASML Slides After Report of China Beginning DUV Tool Production
2. malaymail - AMD down 8pc, Nvidia nearly 5pc as China chip breakthrough report sparks US tech sell‑off
3. cnbc - China’s reported chip breakthrough comes with some big caveats

UN Says Human Trafficking Into Asian Scam Centres Is Surging

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued a warning about the growing number of people being trafficked into Online scam centres across Asia. Victims are often lured by fake job advertisements on social media, promising work abroad, only to be locked up, have their passports and phones confiscated, and forced through violence and debt bondage to participate in the online scams.

The scam centres employ as many as 300,000 workers across Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to deploy Online schemes to defraud often older individuals in the West.

However, a significant portion of those were themselves tricked into employment, the IOM said, describing fake job advertisements offering lucrative work contracts for those with strong English skills and a college education.

Once duped, they are stripped of their documents and forced to carry out Online scam operations amid threats and violence, Iom said.

Many suffer stigma and debt as well as trauma after sexual abuse or bouts of violence.

Reference Sources

1. unen - Forced online scams: IOM warns trafficking networks are booming
2. apnews - Criminal gangs increasingly lure people to work in online scam centers, UN migration agency warns
3. bernama - UN Migration Agency Warns Online Scam Centres Fuel Global Trafficking
4. usnews - Criminal Gangs Increasingly Lure People to Work in Online Scam Centers, UN Migration Agency Warns
5. usnews - UN Says Human Trafficking Into Asian Scam Centres Is Surging

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.  

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Uploaded by Ian Huang