Taiwan

[文章分享]日本女性權益很低落？制度設計如何讓家庭主婦成為「理性」選擇

Taiwan Womens Center | Local Language | AcademicThink | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedDemographics

The article explains that the common narrative in Taiwan viewing Japan's women's movement as weak or failing overlooks key institutional differences. While Taiwanese women's activism is highly visible, Japan's women's movement primarily operates through low-profile institutional reforms targeting welfare systems, labor market conditions, and family law. These efforts, though less dramatic, directly influence how women bear social and economic risks.

In Japan, the choice for many women to become full-time housewives is not simply due to cultural conservatism but is heavily shaped by institutional frameworks. Family law, tax policies, and social insurance create a relatively secure, low-risk path for women through marriage and household roles. The Japanese "male breadwinner model," institutionalized through employment and social policies, places men as primary earners benefiting from company-centered welfare while pushing caregiving and unpaid labor risks onto families, particularly women.

Japan's welfare system is uniquely company-centered, supporting regular male employees while excluding many women and non-standard workers, who must rely on family-based support. This institutional design incentivizes women to choose non-regular employment or housewife roles because these options offer more predictable risk management despite economic disadvantages. Thus, women's "conservatism" can be understood as a rational response to structural risks rather than a lack of feminist awareness.

Taiwanese readers often misunderstand Japanese women's choices by projecting Taiwan's dual-income family norms onto Japan, failing to recognize Japan's different institutional baseline. Judgments based on cultural conservatism miss the deeper issue: whether social systems allow genuine choice without imposing disproportionate costs. The article stresses that Japanese women's apparent conservatism reflects a rational adaptation to institutional failure rather than regression.

At the core of Japan's gender issues is the assumption that families absorb caregiving and maintenance risks, as embedded in Japanese family law. This privatization of social support places heavy burdens on women and shapes their life decisions. The difference between Taiwanese and Japanese women's movements lies in the mode of change: Taiwan favors visible public activism, while Japan pursues incremental institutional adjustments. Recognizing these institutional dynamics is crucial to understanding why Japanese women's conservatism is not a sign of failure but a protective strategy within a risk-structured system.

DRAM需求強勁 力積電高喊：精進代工製程邁開大步

Yahoo Finance | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

PSMC (Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation) announced a major strategic move driven by strong DRAM demand amid a booming memory market intensified by AI applications. The company signed an exclusive Letter of Intent (LOI) with U.S. memory giant Micron Technology to sell its Tongluo P5 12-inch wafer fab for US$1.8 billion in cash. The transaction is expected to complete in the second quarter of 2026 after regulatory approvals. This sale will significantly improve PSMC’s financial structure and allow Micron to expand its DRAM capacity in Taiwan by integrating Tongluo fab into its operations, complementing its existing Taichung fab.

Under the cooperation agreement, Micron will also assist PSMC in advancing its niche DRAM process technology at PSMC’s Hsinchu P3 fab, enabling PSMC to enhance its DRAM foundry process capabilities. The collaboration aims to strengthen PSMC's position in the AI supply chain by focusing on advanced packaging technologies such as wafer-on-wafer (WoW) 3D stacking, interposers, and other materials critical for AI-memory products. After certification, PSMC will be included in Micron’s DRAM advanced packaging supply chain, opening opportunities to serve large memory design companies worldwide.

PSMC currently operates multiple wafer fabs, including three 12-inch and two 8-inch fabs, with monthly capacities exceeding 100,000 wafers. The Tongluo fab, commissioned in May 2024 but underutilized at about 20% capacity, is being divested as part of PSMC’s strategic focus shift toward AI-application-specific products like 3D AI DRAM, silicon interposers, power management ICs, and power devices. This move helps PSMC optimize its operational structure while leveraging Micron’s expertise and resources.

The memory sector has seen a strong positive market reaction to this deal and growing DRAM demand, with stocks like PSMC, Nanya Technology, and Winbond hitting new highs. Market analysts expect memory prices and demand to remain elevated into 2027 due to AI-driven AI-data processing requirements, fueling continued growth momentum in the semiconductor memory industry. PSMC clarified that negotiations regarding possible licensing of Micron’s 1y-nanometer DRAM technology remain ongoing and not finalized.

台商供應鏈重組 國銀海外曝險15.1兆美國增額居冠

Central News Agency | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Supply Chain Issues

By the end of 2025, domestic Taiwanese banks' overseas exposure reached NT$15.1268 trillion, marking a 6.49% year-on-year increase. The United States accounted for the largest portion at NT$4.2418 trillion, with an annual increase of NT$352.9 billion (9.07%), driven by Taiwanese businesses' expanding presence and banks' investments primarily in U.S. Treasuries.

The ranking of countries for overseas exposure shifted due to global supply chain restructuring: the United States remained first, while Australia and Japan overtook China to become the second and third largest, respectively. China and Hong Kong fell to fourth and fifth place, reflecting reduced Chinese economic activity and real estate sector weakness.

The composition of overseas exposure included NT$7.3047 trillion in investments, NT$5.8146 trillion in credit (loans), and NT$2.0075 trillion in interbank placements and deposits. Nearly half of the annual NT$922.2 billion increase was from credit demand, influenced significantly by the New Southbound countries (40%) and the United States (28%). Bond investments dominated the investment category at NT$5.5584 trillion, followed by securitized products at NT$917.9 billion.

The increase in cross-border business activities and fund mobilization needs among Taiwanese enterprises elevated banks' interbank clearing and liquidity requirements, causing placements and deposits to rise by NT$129.5 billion year-on-year. Overall, supply chain adjustments and overseas business expansions have driven significant growth and shifts in domestic banks' overseas financial engagements.