Minister of Economic Affairs Jyh-Huei Kuo emphasized implementing short-, medium-, and long-term plans to navigate Japanese regulations and taxation, introduce park management systems, and assist Taiwanese businesses in Japan leverage industrial clustering benefits to address challenges in overseas investments.

Minister of Economic Affairs Jyh-Huei Kuo delivered the opening keynote titled “New Models of Taiwan-Japan Cooperation: Building a Prosperous New Era Together.” Kuo highlighted Taiwan’s global leadership in the semiconductor industry, spanning IC design, wafer fabrication, and IC packaging and testing. He attributed this success to Taiwan’s government-supported science park model, semiconductor academies, and the “2+4 Semiconductor Talent Development Program,” collectively fostering robust infrastructure and expertise.

Kuo emphasized the Ministry’s long-term strategy to leverage Japanese regulatory and tax systems while introducing Taiwan’s proven science park management frameworks. These efforts aim to enhance industrial clustering benefits for Taiwanese businesses in Japan, resolving overseas investment challenges. He envisioned Taiwan and Japan collaboratively building a robust semiconductor supply chain, strengthening economic security, and fostering a sustainable future.

NYCU President Advocates Co-Creation Over Collaboration

NYCU President Chi-Hung Lin elaborated on Taiwan’s semiconductor success factors, including advanced analytics, continuous investment, and diversified supply chains. Lin highlighted a paradigm shift from “collaboration” to “co-creation” in Taiwan-Japan relations, signifying a deeper partnership that transcends resource sharing to deliver innovative solutions.

Lin expressed aspirations for Japan to become a key partner in Taiwan’s “manufacturing as a service” strategy, with NYCU as the hub for the next-generation Taiwan-Japan University Technology Alliance. He also emphasized the importance of fostering talent equipped with technical expertise, creativity, and humanistic values to contribute to global sustainability.

Innovative Ecosystems as Drivers of Progress

The forum featured comprehensive presentations on global innovation ecosystems and Japan-specific initiatives. Experts from both countries shared insights on global semiconductor trends, Taiwan-Japan collaboration opportunities, science park strategies, and the role of universities in startup ecosystems. In-depth discussions addressed building cross-border alliances, frameworks for industry-academia collaboration, cross-border models, semiconductor research center planning, patent pooling, and establishing international networks.

Director of NYCU’s Office of Industry-Academy Cocreation, Ching-Yao Huang, underscored the critical role of the semiconductor industry in driving technological advancement and the importance of innovation ecosystems in nurturing startups and transforming ideas into impactful solutions. Huang hoped the forum would catalyze strategies for transnational cooperation, benefiting Taiwan, Japan, and the global community.

The forum welcomed prominent figures, including Seiji Samukawa, Director of the Taiwan-Japan Exchanges Office; Sumio Kurafuji, Chairman of the Kyushu Economic Federation; Takashi Hattori, Deputy Representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office; and senior officials from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Hsinchu Science Park, and leading universities from Japan.

A Milestone in Cross-Border Cooperation

President Lin described the forum as a pivotal milestone in advancing cross-border partnerships. He reiterated NYCU’s commitment to building enduring collaborations leveraging excellence in research and entrepreneurship to address global challenges through Taiwan-Japan co-creation.

The forum featured an introduction by NYCU to the global innovation ecosystem and Japanese project initiatives. Experts from Taiwan and Japan shared insights from industrial and academic perspectives on global semiconductor trends, opportunities for Taiwan-Japan collaboration, strategic planning for semiconductor science parks, and the role of universities in startup ecosystems.