Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Sony Semiconductor Solutions said on Friday they plan to form a new joint venture in Japan to develop and manufacture next-generation image sensors. The venture will combine Sony’s sensor design expertise with TSMC’s manufacturing and process technology strengths, deepening a long-standing partnership of the two companies. It will be majority-owned by Sony, and will set up development and production lines in the Japanese company's new fabrication plant in Koshi City in the Kumamoto region.