Japan's Kumamoto, Grown After TSMC Entry, Halted by Strong Quake

Daily life in Kumamoto, Japan, has come to a halt due to the strongest earthquake in a decade. Kikuyo Town in Kumamoto, which had seen rapid growth amid a semiconductor boom, was temporarily paralyzed by the quake; factory and construction site operations were suspended, and once-crowded parking lots sat empty.

Construction work has resumed at the site of global semiconductor giant TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), with excavators and trucks redeployed to build the second plant. Meanwhile, inspections and adjustments of precision equipment are underway at the first plant, which had halted operations.

Local businesses suffered damage while factories were idle. At lunchtime, usually bustling with customers, restaurants sat empty, and merchants faced cancellations and were forced to discard prepared ingredients. Some residents are struggling to secure drinking water.

The earthquake has left 36 people dead in Kumamoto Prefecture, and over 9,000 remain in evacuation shelters.