Kumamoto apartments lay empty as TSMC staff opt for entire homes

2026-09-30

After TSMC announced the establishment of its Kumamoto campus, developers flooded the market with three-bedroom apartments hoping to rent them to employees. But things didn’t go quite as planned. Seeing that property prices were cheaper than in Taiwan, with an entire detached home costing only NT$10 million, many wealthy Taiwanese bought up the apartments but left them vacant. Japanese media are now calling the area a "ghost town."

After TSMC confirmed it was to open in Kumamoto in 2021, developers scrambled to start building homes to accommodate the influx, expecting the “TSMC effect” to bring crowds, capital, and high property prices. But many of the three-bedroom apartments built at the time are now lying vacant. Property managers admit that real estate near the factory is in oversupply.

Lee Chi-yueh
Kumamoto property manager
A massive wave of property handovers began in 2024 or 2025, when the pace of construction on the second fab slowed down a bit. Right now, there’s a need to absorb inventory. But there aren’t many renters and rental prices are falling, although valuations haven’t dropped significantly along with them.

Apartment rentals have fallen short of expectations, because Taiwanese buyers are opting instead for detached homes. For only NT$10 million, they’ve found they can get a place that also has three bedrooms as well as a garden and parking. Compared with Taiwan, it’s a bargain, attracting many wealthy TSMC employees and investors to buy outright.

Lee Chi-yueh
Kumamoto property manager
Finding tenants hasn’t been as easy as initially imagined. Properties have been sitting vacant for six months or even a full year. Those able to buy real estate overseas usually already own some property in Taiwan and aren’t in a rush to rent it out. They figure they can just pop over to visit whenever they have the time, so leaving it empty is fine. It’ll take around three years to digest the inventory and recover.

Insiders said that although there’s an oversupply now, once TSMC’s second fab starts operations in 2029, housing demand will increase again. Coupled with potential plans to build a third fab, the outlook remains positive when looking five to 10 years into the future.

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#TSMC #Kumamoto #JASM #realestate #property #propertymarket #housing #investment

台積電熊本廠"公寓淪鬼城" 業者:台灣有錢人直接買獨棟

2026-09-30

台積電進駐熊本後，當地建商蓋了許多三房公寓，打算出租給台積電員工。但沒想到不如預期，許多台灣有錢人看到當地房價，與台灣相比相對便宜，獨棟別墅只要台幣1000萬出頭，乾脆直接用買的，因此公寓的空屋率高，日本媒體形容，到了晚上宛如鬼城。

2021年台積電確定進駐熊本後，建商拼命蓋房子，就是看好台積電效應，帶來人潮與錢潮，房價上漲。但當初蓋了很多3房公寓，如今空屋率卻很高，物管業者坦言，台積電周圍的物件，目前確實供過於求。

[[熊本物管業者李奇嶽]]
“2024，2025年開始進入所謂的大量的交屋潮，二廠建廠的速度也放的比較慢，目前要做一些去化，這麼多房子，但是沒有這麼多租客，租金行情是有在下降，可是房地產行情，並沒有跟著大幅下降”

公寓出租不如預期，就是因為台灣人看到獨棟的"一戶建"，同樣是3房，又有花園車位，房價落在1000萬出頭，與台灣房價相比，划算許多，吸引不少有錢的台積電員工和投資客，直接買下來。

[[熊本物管業者李奇嶽]]
“招租並不像當初想象中的那麼容易，可能空屋半年，空屋一年都有，能夠到海外置產的，通常都是在台灣已經有買房子買到一定程度，並不急著出租，他想說就有空，再過去玩一玩，看一看就可以了，放著也沒關係，(去化)差不多3年的時間，來慢慢恢復”

業者分析，雖然目前房地產供給過剩，但等到台積電二廠蓋完，2029年開始營運，會有更多住屋需求，加上未來可能還有三廠的計畫，拉長到五年或十年後來看，還是有前景。

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Taimali office redirects visitors from scenic road after bottlenecks cause traffic hazar

Huayuan Bay in Taitung’s Taimali has become a popular tourist destination thanks to a road in the rural township that looks straight out over the Pacific. But since the road is narrow and steep, vehicles are often unable to pass each other. The township office has mapped out an alternate route and put up signs warning non-residents to avoid driving directly up the mountain to help ensure the safety of visitors as well as locals.

Under perfect blue skies, the pavement seems to stretch out endlessly into the Pacific Ocean. This picturesque lane near Huayuan Bay in Taitung’s Taimali Township has become a viral sensation.

Resident
Lives near picturesque site
Everyone comes to the guardrail by the turn to see the ocean or passing trains.

This new viral destination was discovered by a Taipower employee who was repairing storm-damaged power lines up a nearby mountain. While on a break, he discovered the spot was not only perfect for viewing the ocean, but also for seeing the nearby highway and passing trains with the right timing. Later on, he brought his wife to enjoy the view, who posted about it online.

Resident
Recounting an accident
A motorbike slipped here. The driver was covered in injuries.

While beautiful, the spot also holds hidden dangers. Since the roadway is narrow with a steep grade, tourists often get into accidents. And during holidays, heavy traffic causes congestion when trying to pass oncoming vehicles or find parking, causing headaches for the locals.

Chang Chih-wen
Taimali head of tourism and agriculture
This road is primarily used by residents for agricultural activities. So when passing oncoming traffic, there’s a legitimate safety concern.

Chen Ying, who’s running for Taitung County commissioner, took to social media to steer non-residents away from using the road. The Taimali Township Office has also posted notices recommending that visitors take the gentler Xiushan section of County Road 60 instead to ensure the safety of locals and tourists alike.

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#tourism #Taitung #Taimali #viral #scenicspot #trafficsafety #hiddengem

2026-09-30

NCKU installs sediment monitor to prevent further flooding disasters

It’s been a year since a barrier lake along the Matai’an River overflowed, causing devastating flooding in Guangfu township, Hualien. Now, even a year on, over 200 million cubic meters of silt remain accumulated upstream. To ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, a team from National Cheng Kung University installed an automated high sediment concentration monitor on the river’s temporary bridge last week. The system can keep track of sediment content in the river water 24 hours a day and transmit the data in real time, assisting personnel in instantly assessing flood risks.

A disaster prevention team from National Cheng Kung University just finished setting up this sediment concentration monitor on the temporary bridge over Hualien’s Matai’an River. Over 200 million cubic meters of earth and sand are still piled up upstream, posing a threat to downstream residents.

Doong Dong-jiing
NCKU hydraulic engineering department chair
The biggest challenge on-site is the impact from massive amounts of earth and sand. Normal upstream rainfall, changes in river water levels, and fluctuations in sediment concentration shouldn’t damage the equipment, as we’ve already implemented some protections.

The system can keep running 24 hours a day, constantly monitoring the sediment content in the water and transmitting data back in real time to assess flood risks.

Shih Mon-hsien
NCKU Coastal Ocean Monitoring Center project specialist
When floods or heavy rains strike, we can control it remotely to make high-frequency observations. By switching to the event mode, we can take a reading every six minutes.

In addition to continuous, intensive monitoring, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency is also planting more vegetation along hillsides to prevent rockfalls and landslides.

Huang Chun-tse
FANCA Hualien branch director
In early September, we completed seeding five types of vegetation over about 20 hectares. Altogether this year, we’ve planted about 40 hectares of vegetation.

Experts from across disciplines are working together to prevent another disaster caused by Hualien’s extreme landscape.

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#MataianRiver #barrierlake #floodcontrol #Hualien #sediment #NCKU #FANCA

2026-09-30

Asian Games high jump gold medalist welcomed back to Taiwan

2026-09-30

Chiang checks food salt levels amid school diarrhea scandal

Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an visited Jinhua Junior High yesterday and wanted to know how salty the school lunch was. The visit comes after students at the school experienced nausea and diarrhea after consuming squid for lunch earlier this month. Tainan Mayor, Huang Wei-che criticized his Taipei counterpart, saying that Chiang was focusing on the wrong thing. A Taipei City councilor has also come out to reveal that students at Minzu Elementary School had similar digestive issues after consuming squid earlier this month. Investigations revealed that the two schools had the same food supplier. Let’s hear more.

On Tuesday, Taipei’s Mayor Chiang Wan-an went on a special visit to Jinhua Junior High School. He inspected the school’s lunches, but focused on saltiness levels in the food using a machine. This has caused a lot of backlash.

Chiang Wan-an
Taipei Mayor
They go a step further and check the saltiness of the food because, it is widely known that too much salt will impact children’s health.

Puma Shen
Taipei Mayoral Candidate (DPP)
Diarrhea is more likely to require hygiene tests, checking for saltiness is another matter. I can’t really guess what the reasoning is for that. Maybe asking him would be more helpful.

Chiang insisted he was following standard procedures, which Puma Shen couldn’t help making fun of. Tainan’s Mayor joined in on the ridicule, posting photos of his own inspections.

Huang Wei-che
Tainan Mayor
The point is not about the salty or sweet or even sour. The lunches being free is not the main point here, the most important thing is that the kids eat well and eat healthily.

Chen Shu-pei
Taipei City Councilor
Does Chiang Wan-an think that Taipei citizens have three blueberries for brains?

However, we are now seeing reports of problems arising with elementary school lunches in Taipei.

When reporters pressed him, Chiang quickly left. However, Taipei City Councilor, Hung Chien-yi revealed another school was also affected. Minzu Elementary School saw 10 students having diarrhea and gastrointestinal issues after consuming squid for lunch on the 24. Reports revealed both schools had the same supplier.

Tang Chih-min
Taipei City Education Bureau Director
As of now, only Minzu Elementary School reported cases of students in the same class experiencing this, including students consuming vegetarian meals.

Hung Chien-yi
Taipei City Councilor
Chiang Wan-an, please stop slacking off in Daan District. It is time to go back to the basics. Why are there issues with school lunches? Time to review standard procedures and evaluate the suppliers.

Despite the Education Bureau’s continued intervention, issues with school lunch programs has drawn more and more attention from legislators, who continue to pressure Chiang to review standard operating procedures. So that the school lunch program will remain successful.

#schoollunches #chiangwanan #taipeipublicschool #elementaryschool #freelunch

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2026-09-30

3 boats catch fire at at Cijin Fishing Port

2026-09-30

30 technologies on display at 2026 ITRI ICT TechDay

From drones that can navigate warehouses by themselves, to AI that can turn a solo musician into a one-person band, Taiwan is showcasing some of its latest tech innovations. At the 2026 ITRI ICT Tech Day, 30 technologies are on display, spanning AI, advanced communications, satellite networks and autonomous systems. The event highlights how these cutting-edge technologies are moving beyond the lab and into industries, and even our everyday lives.

A drone takes off and makes its way carefully across the warehouse, without anyone manning it. ITRI showcased its Intelligent Indoor Precision Drone Inspection System, which can inspect indoor spaces autonomously without a prebuilt map. This reduces manual inventory checks from several days to a few hours.

Michael Li
ITRI ICL
The camera technology keeps track of the drone’s positioning indoors.

Who said AI is just a tool for work? It can also be used for music, thanks to a new smart system to learn to play musical instruments. The technology can generate responsive AI accompaniment from live performances, detecting and adapting to tempo changes in real time. Now you can really be a one-person band.

Kuo Chao-chung
MOEA Department of Industrial Technology
The world is keeping an eye on Taiwan. Do you know why? They are hoping that we develop innovations faster, better and cheaper, so that they can improve everyone’s wellbeing in their countries.

Ting Pang-an
ITRI ICL
Communications are kind of like the connections between nervous systems, while AI has a cerebellum and a brain of its own. In the future, we will be seeing densely connected and highly intelligent autonomous systems integrated in different industries and assisting us with every aspect of our daily lives.

Guided by MOEA’s Department of Industrial Technology, ITRI has collaborated with four major research organizations and six agencies to host the 2026 ITRI ICT TechDay. A total of 30 technologies are on display covering key areas such as B5G base-station chips, 6G network management, multi-orbit satellite communications and AI applications. Leading experts and companies from Taiwan and abroad gathered at the event to witness Taiwan’s AI capabilities.

Stewart Wu
Metanoia Communications CEO
Some of our systems and software have been developed in very close cooperation with ITRI.

Allen Lai
Chiao Fu Material Technology
ITRI’s Material and Chemical Research Laboratories, the Plastics Industry Development Center and the Information and Communications Research Laboratories have assisted us to take huge steps forward to develop rare-earth and material alternatives for UAVs and robots.

From smart inspection systems and immersive entertainment to advanced communications, MOEA’s Department of Industrial Technology and ITRI are putting Taiwan’s technological innovation and R&D strength on full display.
#itri #tech #smart #robots #uav

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2026-09-30

Traveler boasting about smuggling meat from China causes outrage

2026-09-30

Mother terrified after discovering a woman hiding in her car for hours

Imagine looking in the rearview mirror of your car and finding a stranger staring back at you. This was not a scene from a horror film, but the terrifying reality of a young mother in New Taipei’s Linkou District. The mother was on her way to pick up her daughter from daycare. On the way, she went to buy breakfast and forgot to lock the doors. She never saw a woman getting into her car, crouching behind her seat and remained there until it arrived at the daycare center. That’s when the mother realized that she wasn’t alone.

Once the driver entered the underground parking lot, she stopped the car in front of the exit. The mother then went to collect her daughter from the daycare center on the second floor. After a while, a strange middle-aged woman got out of the car’s backseat, she had hidden there all along.

After a few minutes, the mother carried her child downstairs, and the woman wanted to get in the car with them too. Only then did the mother realize a strange woman was there and screamed in terror.

Voice of Mother
Unaware of Hidden Stranger
This is quite scary. If she had some sort of motive, she could have put a rope around my neck, I could have died.

At first, it was believed that this stranger accidentally got into the car, but a careful review of surveillance footage revealed that the woman had been hiding in the car for some time.

Voice of Mother
Unaware of Hidden Stranger
I kept thinking, if I hadn’t carried my daughter with me, would she have kidnapped her? I was terrified.

It was close to noon, when the mother received a call from the daycare center stating that her daughter was unwell and needed to be taken home. On the way to collect her child, the mother stopped for food and didn’t think to lock her car doors. This became the perfect window for a strange woman to sneak into the backseat and follow her to the center.

Li Hao-zhang
Linkou Cultural Affairs Office Director
When the victim tried to get back in the car, the unidentified woman attempted to open the door and get in again. When the victim noticed, she screamed and fled.

Previous reports suggest the strange woman in question is known locally for being problematic. Although her motives are unclear, she did not prove to be an immediate danger to the mother and her child, which would have been unfortunate and led to serious reprimand.

#carnapping #newtaipei #mother #daycare #childcrimes

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2026-09-30

95-year-old Hualien photographer continues to run studio

2026-09-30