Local News

The Nishinippon Shimbun reports that large electrical machinery and semiconductor manufacturers are selling off and leaving their production plants in Kyushu. There is an industry-wide reorganization underway to respond to intensifying international competition by concentrating resources. The newspaper cites eight examples in all seven Kyushu prefectures of companies selling or planning to sell their facilities, or withdrawing altogether. The moves started last October when Sony sold its semiconductor plants for game equipment in Isahaya, Nagasaki Prefecture, and Oita City. The newspaper says this will have a major impact on regional employment and the industrial structure.