Pres. ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. shakes hands with MinebeaMitsumi chairman Kainuma Yoshihisa at the sidelines of the commemoration of Philippine-Japanese diplomatic relations. (Photo from Facebook)
Coming from a successful state visit in Japan, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has announced that Japanese firm MinebeaMitsumi Incorporated has expressed interest in pursuing a ₱25-billion expansion project for its local operations.
Accordingly, Filipinos are set to benefit from the promising project as it will create at least 3,000 new job opportunities while strengthening Philippine participation in global semiconductor and electronic supply chains.
During his official trip in Tokyo, the President was able to discuss MinebeaMitsumi’s expansion plans with the company’s representative director, chairman and chief-executive-officer Kainuma Yoshihisa at the sidelines of the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Japan diplomatic relations.
President Marcos enthused that the investment will expand the semiconductor company’s back-end manufacturing operations, battery protection modules for hyperscale data centers and optical image stabilization (OIS) technologies used in high-end smartphone cameras.
For his part, Kainuma disclosed that part of their expansion will include the continued development of Mitsumi’s operations in Cebu, with increased analog semiconductor production capacity beginning in 2027 to support rising global demand driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure.
“Aside from this, we will also invest around ₱5 billion in battery protection modules for hyperscale data centers and approximately ₱10 billion to expand manufacturing capacity for OIS technologies,” he added.
Mr. Marcos was joined in his meeting with Kainuma by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) secretary Ma. Cristina Roque who emphasized that Mitsumi’s expansion in Cebu would bring long-term benefits to Filipino workers and the local manufacturing sector.
“MinebeaMitsumi is already one of the Philippines’ largest Japanese investment and employer, with around 22,000 workers across facilities in Cebu, Batangas and Bataan. With the company’s expansion, we expect around additional jobs to be created locally,” Roque asserted.
“Beyond employment generation and skill development, the company’s electronic components used in vehicles contribute to the transportation sector’s supply chain, while also expanding local capabilities in advanced electronics, digital infrastructure, and high-value manufacturing,” the trade chief continued.
As of March 2026, the Japanese semiconductor has reported cumulative investments in the Philippines amounting to approximately ₱53 billion.
“Its local facilities produce semiconductors, battery protection modules, precision motors and other advanced electronic components used in vehicles, smartphones, computers and digital infrastructure systems,” he pointed out.
In ending, Sec. Roque highlighted that the investments support the Philippines’ broader semiconductor and electronics roadmap, which targets semiconductor and electronics exports of US$110 billion by 2030 while expanding the country’s participation in higher-value and technology-intensive manufacturing activities.