[Meanwhile] The power of Kumamoto

Could Korea really do what Kumamoto is doing?

KIM HYUN-YEThe author is a Tokyo correspondent of the JoongAng Ilbo. “We are doing it with sincerity and speed.” I never thought sincerity and speed could be pursued at the same time. I had many questions as I was listening to Governor Ikuo Kabashima at the Kumamoto Prefectural Office in Japan on April 10. How can the two values be compatible?

Kumamoto is the “hot place” today, thanks to semiconductors. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the foundry leader, is building a plant here with Japanese companies.

The neighborhood, which used to be full of cabbage and carrot fields, is undergoing a complete transformation. Chip production will begin as early as the end of next year. This is what Kabashima was referring to when he talked about “sincerity” and “speed.”

First of all, let’s talk about speed. When TSMC invested about $8.6 billion to build chip production lines in the cabbage field, it made one demand: the construction must be completed within two and a half years. It usually takes 10 years in Japan, but TSMC wanted the construction period to be cut to one-fourth.

There is only one way to achieve the goal: to work 24/7. It was unprecedented, but Japanese construction companies continue building the plant every night to meet the demand.

Next is sincerity. It was the first time that people came from abroad to Kumamoto, not Tokyo. The Kumamoto Prefecture has launched a study. A total of 1,700 people will work at the Kumamoto plant, and about 300 will come from Taiwan. How many of them will bring children? How can their settlement be supported?

The Kumamoto officials thought about education above all. As about half of the employees coming to Japan will arrive with their children, the prefecture decided to overhaul the educational environment.

What mattered to them was an international school. An official in charge said, “Families would have different ideas of how they want to educate their children, but we are assisting with options of an international school and a Japanese school for those who want to raise their children in Japanese culture. We decided to provide interpretation devices, too.” As the prefecture attracted one foreign company, it is paying close attention to the environment for families of the foreign workers, including education for their children.

Kumamoto is already excited. Land prices rose 20 percent from the previous year. Given the strong need for a workforce from the construction of the chip plant, the prefecture is expected to be short of 1,000 workers every year after the end of next year.

The TSMC factory is expected to have an economic effect worth $68.9 billion over the next 10 years. What about Korea? The country wants to attract foreign companies whenever it has a chance. Could Korea really do what Kumamoto is doing? Kabashima said, “I am working, believing that Kumamoto can be the leader in the global semiconductor market.”