Following the strong earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan, on July 28, several semiconductor plants in the region suspended operations for safety inspections. As of July 30, major players have begun phased resumption, easing near-term supply chain stress.

Renesas Electronics has confirmed production resumption: its Nishiki Factory resumed on July 29, while the Kawashiri Factory is undergoing equipment calibration and in-process WIP assessment, with production expected to restart by August 5. The company continues to monitor aftershock impacts on business and supply.

Mitsubishi Electric restarted equipment at its two power semiconductor fabs in Koshi and Kikuchi on July 30, now in line optimization and gradually ramping to full operation.

TSMC's JASM Kumamoto fab remains in inspection mode – utilities and safety systems are stable, but equipment recalibration is taking longer due to quake intensity. TSMC has deployed additional internal resources to accelerate recovery. Construction of the second JASM fab resumed on July 29 after safety clearance.

Sony Semiconductor's Kumamoto Technology Center – a core image sensor production site – remains idle, with teams still assessing facility and equipment damage. Other Sony fabs in Nagasaki, Oita, and Kagoshima are operating normally.

From ICgoodFind: Power chips and MCUs are coming back online; image sensors are still on hold. Overall supply chain risk is manageable, but Sony's production status remains the key variable for global CMOS sensor availability.