Officials from Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto are taking part in a major semiconductor trade show in Taiwan in an effort to invite chip makers to set up in the prefecture.

The 3-day Semicon Taiwan 2022 began on Wednesday in Taipei, with about 700 companies taking part. The annual event is the largest of its kind in Taiwan.

Kumamoto officials set up a booth at the event. They were seen handing out their business cards and pamphlets to visitors and explaining the prefecture's competitive edge such as the concentration of semiconductor firms, subsidies given to companies and abundant water resources.

Major Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC is building a new factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, and is scheduled to begin production there in December 2024.

Morihira Kenichi of the Kumamoto Prefectural Government said some people were interested in the prefecture after learning about TSMC. He expressed his hope that the event would attract more companies to set up factories in Kumamoto.