UMC has closed down its Japan-based fab citing both uncertain demand and the uncertainty of Japan's electricity supply. UMC will switch its Japan production to Taiwan and Singapore.
The sorry end of the fab brings to a close a strange tale showing how wondrous can be the workings of a boardroom thinking.

Back in the 1980s, when Japan ruled the semiconductor world with over 50% global market share and six Japanese chip companies were in the world top ten, a strange delusion set in at Japan's big steel companies.

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