Dr. Ritter Diaz, Representative Director of JAPOLAC, held a virtual meeting with Dr. Eduardo Ortega-Barría, National Secretary of The National Secretariat of Science, Technology, and Innovation (SENACYT), to gain insights into SENACYT’s initiatives in developing the semiconductor industry in Panama.

Dr. Ortega-Barría highlighted that in 2023, the US government included Panama in a partnership to explore opportunities for growth and diversification of the global semiconductor ecosystem under the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund (ITSI Fund), created by the CHIPS Act of 2022. This partnership aims to create a more resilient, secure, and sustainable global semiconductor value chain, emphasizing the significant potential for expansion between the United States and Panama.

In response, the government of Panama announced a national strategy for the development and promotion of microelectronics and semiconductor activities. This strategy aims to integrate Panama into the global microelectronics and semiconductor value chain, especially considering Panama’s strategic logistics hub in the Latin America and Caribbean region. It also calls for the training of human resources and the promotion of research and development related to semiconductor manufacturing.

Dr. Diaz explained to Dr. Ortega-Barría that JAPOLAC’s activities focus on facilitating linkages and cooperation with Japanese universities, research centers, government institutions, and companies in various fields. He informed Dr. Ortega-Barría that last year, JAPOLAC coordinated a lecture on semiconductors for the students, professors, and researchers of Panama Technological University, delivered by a professor from the Faculty of Engineering of Chiba University.

Dr. Diaz conveyed JAPOLAC’s strong commitment to advancing linkages between SENACYT and Japanese academia, government, and private sectors to position Panama in the global semiconductor supply chain.

Dr. Ritter Diaz, Representative Director of JAPOLAC, and his wife, Mrs. Ayana Diaz Hatada, hosted a dinner in honor of His Excellency Carlos Pere, Ambassador of Panama to Japan, and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Heurtematte, in recognition of their friendship and support of the association’s activities.

During his tenure, Ambassador Pere supported various JAPOLAC initiatives aimed at strengthening academic cooperation between Panamanian and Japanese universities. Thanks to the support of the Embassy of Panama, a study trip was organized for specialists from the Panamanian Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (INMFRE) to the University of Health and Welfare in Niigata, as well as a practical course in diplomatic communication conducted by a specialist from the Embassy of Panama for students at Utsunomiya University.

Additionally, Ambassador Pere played an active role in the renewal of the academic agreement between the University of Panama and Chiba University, which will facilitate the expansion of academic exchanges in the field of medicine.
He was also actively involved in the establishment of an educational cooperation agreement between Chiba University, the National Secretariat of Science and Technology of Panama (SENACYT) and the Institute for the Training and Development of Human Resources (IFARHU), under which Chiba University will receive postgraduate students in the field of Horticulture.

Another significant achievement of Ambassador Pere was the approval by the Japanese government of visa exemption for Panamanian citizens, which will enable greater exchange of people between the two nations.

The dinner also counted on the distinguished presence of the heads of diplomatic missions from Venezuela, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Peru and Bolivia.

In summary, this dinner reflects JAPOLAC’s profound gratitude towards Ambassador Pere and his wife for their contribution to strengthening the ties between Japan and the Republic of Panama.

During a trip to Panama in May of this year, Dr. Ritter Diaz, Director of JAPOLAC, held a meeting with professors from the Technological University of Panama who specialize in semiconductor education. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange opinions on Japan’s strategy to revitalize the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Dr. Diaz also shared details about his recent participation in the launch of the Costa Rica Semiconductor Roadmap.

Dr. Diaz reported that Japan’s strategy aims to revitalize the semiconductor manufacturing industry in order to play a central role in the global semiconductor supply chain. To this end, Japan has allocated financial subsidies amounting to approximately 25 billion dollars (3.9 trillion yen) between 2021 and 2023. This government support has attracted renowned foreign companies in the global semiconductor industry, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC, Taiwan), Samsung (South Korea), Micron Technology (USA), Intel (USA), IBM (USA), Applied Materials (USA), and ASML (Netherlands), among other industry leaders.

Additionally, Dr. Diaz shared details about the launch of the Costa Rica Semiconductor Industry Roadmap. This effort, driven by the presence of Intel and the partnership between Costa Rica and the United States, seeks to diversify and strengthen a more resilient, secure, and sustainable global semiconductor value chain. This partnership is facilitated by the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund (ITSI Fund), created by the 2022 US CHIPS Act. Costa Rica is not only engaged in semiconductor testing, assembly, and packaging, but is also venturing into chip design.

Dr. Diaz noted that Panama, under the educational leadership of the Technological University of Panama and the National Secretariat of Science and Tecnology, has a great opportunity to develop the semiconductor industry. Like Costa Rica, Panama has been included in the partnership with the United States to be part of a stable supply chain in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Additionally, Panama boasts an important international logistics center to support this supply chain, complementing semiconductor production in Costa Rica.

In this regard, he emphasized that Panama must transform the education curriculum to service global semiconductor companies, in the same way as Costa Rica did to attract high-tech companies like Intel. In addition, the educational model should also prepare citizens for communication with machines, including learning the language of artificial intelligence, in addition to their native language, Spanish, and English as an international communication language.

Dr. Diaz reiterated the support of JAPOLAC to the Technological University of Panama to establish links with Japanese institutions and companies related to research and development in semiconductors and other areas of technological development. In this regard, he has already approached the Faculty of Engineering at Chiba University, aiming at the training of professors and students from the Technological University of Panama in the field of semiconductors.

Dr. Ritter Diaz, the Representative Director of the Japan Association for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean (JAPOLAC), recently paid a courtesy visit to His Excellency Manuel Roldan, the new Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala.

During the meeting, Dr. Diaz provided Ambassador Roldan with an overview of JAPOLAC’s objectives and ongoing activities, underscoring the significance of fostering practical exchanges between Japan and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ambassador Roldan warmly welcomed the visit and expressed his gratitude for the introduction to the Association. He further elaborated on the objectives of his diplomatic mission, emphasizing the important goal of strengthening relations between Guatemala and Japan. Notably, he seeks to foster cooperation from Japan in key sectors such as public transportation and anti-seismic technologies.

Among JAPOLAC’s core objectives is the support for the endeavours of Latin American and Caribbean embassies (LAC) in Japan, aimed at enhancing the awareness of LAC culture throughout Japan.

Accompanying Dr. Diaz were senior directors of JAPOLAC, Mr. Ajoy Sinha Roy and Mr. Neil Butler.