Main content
This programme will be available shortly after broadcast

Can an island of flowers become a global chip hub?

The island of Hokkaido in Japan has long been an agricultural powerhouse but is now being turned into a centre for advanced semiconductors.

Forty years ago Japan made more than half of the world's semiconductors. Today, it produces just over 10%. But the country has big ambitions to turn that around.

We hear from the CEO of a company at the centre of the government's high-stakes gamble to revive its semiconductor industry, and more broadly, its tech power.

And we'll learn how the island of Hokkaido is now the site of billions in investment to turn what has long been an agricultural powerhouse into a global chip manufacturing hub.

If you'd like to contact the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Suranjana Tewari
Producer: Jaltson Akkanath Chummar

(Picture: A lavender field and colourful flower garden in Hokkaido, Japan. Credit: Getty Images)

Release date:

17 minutes

On radio

Wed 14 Jan 2026 08:32GMT

Featured

  • .

Broadcasts

  • Wed 14 Jan 2026 08:32GMT
  • Wed 14 Jan 2026 15:32GMT

Podcast