On July 28 (local time), a 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, striking at a focal depth of 10 kilometers and triggering a series of aftershocks in the days that followed. As a vital center for semiconductor manufacturing in Japan and a key player on the global stage, Kumamoto hosts a cluster of major industry leaders, including TSMC, Sony, Tokyo Electron, Renesas Electronics, and Mitsubishi Electric. The seismic event forced several factories to temporarily suspend production, sparking widespread concerns across the sector about potential disruptions to semiconductor supply chains. However, the situation is now improving, with local chip plants gradually resuming operations and easing fears of prolonged supply interruptions.