My recent trip from Massachusetts to Japan was extremely complicated due to new travel regulations and restrictions for foreign visitors. The latest update from the Japanese embassy in the U.S. stated that foreigners were not allowed to enter Japan without extraordinary emergency travel reasons. Japanese citizens who are living in foreign countries are the exceptions to this travel restriction.
Travelers are required to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours before departure. The test results and certificate must be completed in a special format provided by the foreign Ministry of Japan. There are many laboratories capable of administering a PCR test, but very few of them can satisfy the protocols required to enter Japan. I contacted 10 clinics before I found one that could meet the new protocols and complete the test within 48 hours. Travel is stressful enough without having this hanging over your head. I secured airline tickets and ground transportation; now all I needed was that golden ticket from the clinic. The lab contacted me with my negative test results, so I was good to go with 40 hours to spare.
I arrived super early to the airport (10 hours before departure time) just in case my connecting flights changed. I had a reservation at Swiss Air with a connection in Zurich. European airlines have different rules for foreign passengers with connecting flights. If anything changes, there are very few alternative flights, and sometimes you are sleeping at the airport for a day.
Check in was uneventful and the flight to Zurich was on time. I had an 11-hour wait at the Zurich airport for my connection to Tokyo. The second flight to Tokyo was on time with plenty of seats. The flight arrived a few minutes ahead of schedule. My total trip time from Boston to Tokyo was 32 hours, and another eight hours to arrive at my home.
My arrival at the airports was a blur. The number of gates and processes I went through was incredible and included the viewing of several documents and certificates, another PCR test, a passport control procedure, the GPS set-up for contact tracing on my smart phone, and even more. Public transportation is prohibited, and you must provide a 14-day itinerary, and of course answer questions about your health. The process to leave the airport took five hours, and the airport staff said my process was much shorter because I am handicapped. I was exhausted when I arrived at my home and slept for the next couple of days.
I received two emails and a few phone calls every day to monitor my health. The system in place looks great to protect Japan from the pandemic, but the infection continues to spread as new cases set daily records in Japan. The controls in place at the airport help manage the spread of COVID, but it does not help the domestic spread.
So, that is a summary of my trip back to Japan. I recommend not visiting Japan until this is under control. Hopefully it will not take too long.
Headlines of the week
(Please contact haverhill@dknreseach.com for further information and news.)
1. NICT (Major R&D organization in Japan) 8/2
Has developed a new frequency counter capable for 0.1 ~ 2.8THz band with high accuracy.
2. Shibaura Institute of Technology (Tokyo Japan) 8/5
Has developed a new power generation device for wearable electronic devices. A small temperature deference between human body and atmosphere generates electric power.
3. Tokin (Major device supplier in Japan) 8/5
Has released the PSUB series of polymer base tantalum capacitors for automobile use. 220 ~ 330 microfarad. Size: 3.5 x 2.8 x 1.9 mm.
4. Fujikura (Major optical fiber manufacturer in Japan) 8/6
Has developed a new 28 GHz PAAM (phased array antenna module) “Future Access” for 5G base station. Sample devices will be delivered by March 2022.
5. Samsung Electronics (Major electronics company in Korea) 8/11
Has lost the No. 1 position of the global smartphone supplier. Now, Samsung has a strategic recovery plan with foldable smart phones.
6. Ericsson (Major telecommunication equipment supplier in Sweden) 8/15s.
Expects over 500 million 5G users by the end of 2021.
7. Kioxia (Major semiconductor manufacturer in Japan) 8/16
Has unveiled a new flash memory with 512G byte capacity for high end smartphones. Package: 1 mm thick. The company will start sample supply in August.
8. Hon Hai Precision (The largest EMS company in Taiwan) 8/20
Has purchased a semiconductor manufacturer in Taiwan. The company has volume capability for 6-inch wafers. Hon Hai will produce SiC base power devices for EVs.
9. Ricoh (Major electronics company in Japan) 8/20
Will start sample supply of the new flexible power generation device in August. It works under 200lx. The company expects many applications for sensors.
10. TSMC (Major semiconductor manufacturer in Taiwan) 8/20
Expect supply shortage will be continued until 2023. However, there will be some possibilities supply shortage in 2024.
11. Samsung Electronics (Major electronics company in Korea) 8/24
Has been considering building a semiconductor plant in the U.S. Company will invest $17 billion and is expecting production to begin in 2024. Currently, here are three candidates. Texas, New York, and Arizona.
Dominique K. Numakura is the managing director of DKN Research LLC. Contact haverhill@dknreseach.com for further information and news.
09-07-2021
My recent trip from Massachusetts to Japan was extremely complicated due to new travel regulations and restrictions for foreign visitors. The latest update from the Japanese embassy in the U.S. read that foreigners were not allowed to enter Japan without extraordinary emergency travel reasons. Japanese citizens who are living in foreign countries are the exceptions to this travel restriction.
View Story07-21-2021
Taiwan is the benchmark for controlling the spread of COVID-19. The electronics industry in Taiwan grew throughout the pandemic. Unfortunately, an increase in cases has been reported. The numbers are small but growing, and the Taiwanese are scrambling to secure enough vaccines for their population.
View Story06-21-2021
Last November, I had a COVID-19 PCR test at Narita Airport upon arrival from the U.S. This test was administered prior to passport control and took almost an hour and a half (my test result was negative). The test was free, but transportation from the airport to my home was over $300.
View Story06-01-2021
The number of positive COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Japan, and a majority of residents want the Tokyo Olympics to be postponed or canceled. How is this spike in cases affecting Japan's ability to get people vaccinated?
View Story05-10-2021
A series of complications, canceled flights and delayed COVID tests meant one of the longest trips of his life. Columnist Dominique Numakura explains.
View Story03-29-2021
Dominique Numakura remembers back to the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan 10 years ago and what that has meant for him and his country. Scientists continue to ponder, when it will happen again.
View Story02-11-2021
The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) released December’s shipment data. Full year data is also posted for 2020, so it’s time to review the industry’s performance.
View Story11-30-2020
Market data provided by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) is very comprehensive. Unfortunately, any news or data from the PCB industry in China is not easily accessible. Dominique Numakura provides an update on the printed circuit industry in China based on available market data.
View Story11-18-2020
Copper foil is the primary conductor material used in traditional flexible circuits. The photolithography process is now popular in the printed circuit industry, and circuit manufacturers have an etching line process in their basic manufacturing. Dominique Numakura details how thick-film circuits are another option to generate flexible circuits.
View Story11-09-2020
The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) released the August production data from Japan. Dominique Numakura explains how they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Story10-14-2020
Hitachi Chemical, a consolidated subsidiary of Showa Denko, recently changed its name to Showa Denko (they will now be part of this company). Dominique Numakura details how company officials released a statement commenting on the new name and adding that this collaboration will generate new business trends.
View Story10-07-2020
Creating electronic circuits on fabric substrates is not easy. The subtractive processes in manufacturing use wet chemicals. Dominique Numakura addresses textile base flex circuits, including a die-stamping process, as well as screen-printable thick-film circuits.
View Story10-05-2020
The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) recently released the PCB shipments report for the month of August. The Taiwanese PCB industry can be considered the barometer for global consumer electronics. Shipments during August declined, so Dominique Numakura take a closer look at the data
View Story09-22-2020
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the global economy. In this column, Dominique examines the impact on Taiwan. Taiwanese companies posted positive results compared to last year as manufacturing and exports increase.
View Story09-03-2020
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt every aspect of life on a global basis, including work, education, and travel. Dominique Numakura shares his recent experience with international travel from Japan to the U.S.
View Story08-31-2020
There is much interest from design engineers looking for practical 3D wiring material for compact electronic devices, such as smartphones and digital cameras. Dominique Numakura takes a brief look at this new 3D circuit technology.
View Story08-03-2020
While composing this column, the end of July is quickly approaching and electronic companies can’t forecast business trends with this uncertainty in the market. Why the choppy market? Dominique Numakura explains.
View Story12-19-2019
The circuit board industry in Taiwan released its shipping data for November. The revenue declined by 5.61% compared with the previous month and declined by 0.29% for the same month last year. Year-to-date revenue increased by 0.29% comparing year over year. Dominique Numakura unpacks the details of Taiwan's PCB industry for 2019.
View Story12-15-2019
When DuPont developed the heat-resistant polyimide film Kapton in the 1960s, there was no large-volume application. Now, DuPont has developed a new circuit concept for flexible circuits, but the company did not have a business plan for the products.
View Story11-07-2019
Wiring with flexible circuits could be a practical solution. Nowadays, most mobile device manufacturers are consuming huge amounts of thin, flexible circuits to attach on the surface of the housing in limited spaces. However, the cost of flexible circuits and assembling them is another headache for device manufacturers because they are not negligible in the whole cost of the devices.
View Story11-06-2019
Japan increased its national sales tax rate from 8% to 10% effective October 1, 2019. The broad-based tax affects consumer products as well as medical, cellphone services, and business-to-business trade. Some products are excluded from the increase, but it is a little complicated. Dominique Numakura explains.
View Story10-18-2019
The subtractive process (an etching process of copper foil) is the primary technology used to build various printed circuits. On the other hand, printable electronics are making significant progress in this area, and several researchers predict the traditional etching processes will be replaced by printing technologies in the near future.
View Story09-23-2019
PCB monthly shipments for the first three quarters show some positive growth compared to the same periods of the previous year. However, growth was stagnant during October and November and declined significantly in December.
View Story08-12-2019
Many vendors and manufacturers featured test equipment for flexible circuits. It was worthwhile for Dominique Numakura to take a long look at this equipment that evaluates new functional, flexible circuits.
View Story07-30-2019
Many new technologies and products related to flexible circuits were introduced by mid-sized manufacturers at the JPCA Show 2019. Oki Cable displayed several unique technologies that included stretchable and transparent circuits. They are proactive with introducing new materials for base materials as well as conductors and coverlay.
View Story07-29-2019
There were many new products related to thick-film base flexible circuits introduced at the JPCA Show 2019. Specifically, these products were screen-printed conductive inks featured by some Taiwanese companies as well as other mid-sized manufactures. P-ban.com, an online circuit distributer, displayed several advanced technologies. Their basic concepts are not new, but their technology bundles are very practical and are currently in the market.
View Story06-13-2019
The JPCA Show opened June 5 at Tokyo Big Sight. The three-day show was sold out despite the slowdown for the global printed circuit industry. The show came at a good time and gave me the opportunity to network, collaborate, and collect market data for both business and technology trends.
View Story
