July 29, 2026 / SemiMedia / — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company said production was gradually resuming at its Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing plant after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture.

JASM evacuated personnel in accordance with its internal safety procedures. TSMC subsequently confirmed that all employees at the site were safe.

Post-earthquake structural inspections found the factory buildings safe, allowing employees to begin returning to work areas. Detailed inspections and assessments of production equipment, facility systems and work-in-process wafers remain underway.

TSMC has not disclosed whether any manufacturing equipment or wafers were damaged. The effect on production output therefore cannot yet be quantified.

The earthquake occurred at approximately 4:27 p.m. local time on July 28. It had a magnitude of 7.1 and a provisionally revised depth of 16 kilometers, according to Japanese government information.

Uki City and Hikawa Town recorded the maximum Japanese seismic intensity of 7, while Kikuyo Town, where the JASM facility is located, recorded an intensity of upper 5. Seismic intensity describes the strength of shaking at a particular location and is separate from the earthquake’s magnitude.

TSMC said the construction area for JASM’s second fab was not directly affected. Some construction activities were temporarily suspended because of the possibility of further aftershocks and will resume after additional safety assessments.

JASM’s first fab began volume production in late 2024. It uses 12/16nm FinFET and 22/28nm process technologies and was planned for a monthly capacity of approximately 55,000 12-inch wafers.

The facility produces logic semiconductors for automotive, industrial, consumer and image-sensor-related applications. Its capacity represents a relatively small portion of TSMC’s global manufacturing network, limiting the potential effect on the foundry’s overall output if operations normalize quickly.

The final production impact will depend on whether manufacturing equipment requires recalibration, utility systems remain stable and work-in-process wafers pass inspection.

TSMC has also revised its plans for the second Kumamoto fab to include 3nm production. Equipment installation and volume production are currently expected to begin in 2028, and the earthquake has not yet been reported to affect that schedule.

JASM was established in 2021 and is approximately 86.5% owned by TSMC. Sony Semiconductor Solutions, DENSO and Toyota hold minority stakes of approximately 6%, 5.5% and 2%, respectively.