With more and more Japanese households using digital appliances that can be monitored and controlled via the Internet and mobile phones, many firms are planning to build more plants in Japan to make components for these smart products.
In February, Toshiba Corp. marked the completion of a state-of-the-art plant in Oita that will start mass-producing next-generation semiconductors in the fall.
Built within the compound of Toshiba's Oita plant complex in Kyushu, the new facility will produce high-quality semiconductors, known as system LSI (large-scale integration) chips, for use in products such as digital household appliances and mobile equipment.