TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The presence of a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. fab in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture is attracting students from the region to study in Taiwan, reports said Saturday.

Seven high school graduates were enrolled at Minghsin University of Science and Technology in Hsinchu to study semiconductors, according to Nikkei Asia. They preferred to learn the craft at TSMC’s home region rather than continue studies in Japan.

As Minghsin was located close to the Hsinchu Science Park, many of its graduates found work in the technology sector, per CNA. After graduating from their high schools in March, the new Japanese students headed to Taiwan to learn Mandarin.

Six of them were hoping to find work with TSMC in Japan, while the seventh said he would choose between TSMC and the Mitsubishi trading house.

Minghsin signed a cooperation agreement with Kai-Shin High School in Kumamoto in Nov. 2024. The Japanese school had budgeted for 80 students for its new semiconductor information course starting in April, but 240 candidates showed up. In the end, the school decided to enroll 120 of the applicants.

The presence of TSMC in the region presented a golden opportunity for students to learn a valuable profession, school officials said. Nevertheless, practical knowledge about the semiconductor sector was still lacking in Japan, they added.

The fab in Kumamoto, operated by TSMC’s joint venture, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, launched in 2024. A second factory next door will produce semiconductors for self-driving cars and AI systems.