TOKYO, Japan — Fresh Japanese investments worth P56.3 billion are set to flow into the Philippines following meetings between Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and major Japanese firms in Tokyo on Thursday.

The investment commitments cover shipbuilding, advanced electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence-driven technologies, and green maritime industries, and are expected to generate around 10,300 direct and indirect jobs nationwide.

Among the companies that met with Marcos was Tsuneishi Group Corporation, which discussed plans to expand its shipbuilding operations in the Philippines.

The company already operates facilities in Cebu, and the planned expansion is expected to strengthen the country’s standing in the global shipbuilding industry.

Once completed, the Philippines is projected to become the world’s fourth-largest shipbuilding nation after China, Japan, and South Korea.

Marcos also met with executives of Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd., which unveiled plans to expand production of advanced heat sink modules and thermal management products at the Laguna Technopark.

The expansion aims to increase manufacturing capacity for high-performance cooling systems used in data center CPUs and GPUs amid rising global demand linked to generative AI technologies.

Meanwhile, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. announced a P4.3-billion expansion project involving the construction of a new 4,706-square-meter facility in Cabuyao through its Philippine unit First Sumiden Circuits Inc..

The facility is expected to support the production of flexible printed circuits used in electric vehicles, AI-related electronics, and telecommunications equipment.

Executives of MinebeaMitsumi Inc. also presented ongoing and planned investments in semiconductor back-end manufacturing, battery-related components for hyperscale data centers, Optical Image Stabilization technologies, and precision manufacturing operations in Cebu.

The projects are expected to support the growing global demand for AI technologies and advanced smartphone and data center components.