Rapidus, Japan’s leading semiconductor company, unveiled its first set of 2nm prototype chips on July 18 during a press event held in Chitose City, Hokkaido. The unveiling took place at a hotel near the company’s pilot production site and drew a crowd of about 200 suppliers and prospective clients.

JS Foundry, a Japanese contract chipmaker specializing in power semiconductors, has filed for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court after failing to withstand mounting pressure from a wave of Chinese capacity expansions. The company’s inability to secure a strategic partnership with a Taiwanese firm and a collapse in fab utilization forced its exit, marking a sobering end to what had once been a symbol of Japan’s semiconductor revitalization push.

On July 18, 2025, in Beijing, China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao attended a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the country’s high-quality fulfillment of targets set for the 14th Five-Year Plan period. He announced that on July 17, he met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Beijing, signaling China’s continued engagement with American high-tech companies.

With China’s domination in the global LCD panel industry, coupled with long-term overcapacity in panel production and the fact that higher-generation fabs are more efficient and cost-effective than older, lower-generation lines, panel players from Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan have been continuously closing and selling plants in recent years.