The semiconductor industry – vital for the development of future technologies – is at the centre of rising geopolitical competition between the US and China. Chip production is highly concentrated in East Asia, especially in Taiwan, where around 90% of the world’s advanced semiconductors are produced. As China develops its domestic semiconductor industry and geopolitical divides deepen, many countries, including Japan, are attempting to rebuild their semiconductor industry and related supply chains.

In this talk, Mariko Togashi will explain Japan’s position in the global competition for semiconductors and how it impacts the country’s national economic security strategy. She will also discuss some of the greatest challenges lying ahead for Japan’s semiconductor industry and national security, and present recommendations.

About the contributors

Mariko Togashi

Mariko Togashi is Research Fellow for Japanese Security and Defence Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Prior to joining IISS, Mariko served as the API Matsumoto-Samata Fellow at the Asia Pacific Initiative (now part of the International House of Japan), where she launched and led the National Economic Security Strategy Project. From 2014 to 2019, she worked as an equity analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (currently BofA Securities) and Deutsche Bank, where she analysed the Japanese technology sector and provided views to global investors. She also previously worked as a research assistant at the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies. She holds an MA in Strategic Studies and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA in Law from Keio University, Tokyo.

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