The Philippine delegation to Tokyo, Japan, headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has secured billions worth of investments for various industries, ushering jobs for thousands of Filipino workers, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said that for the expansion of the local operations of MinebeaMitsumi Inc. alone, the Philippines has already secured P25 billion worth of investments, producing 3,000 new jobs, and stronger participation in global semiconductor and electronic supply chains.

This was after Marcos and Roque, along with other members of the Philippine delegation, met with MinebeaMitsumi Representative Director, Chairman, and CEO Yoshihisa Kainuma during the State Visit of Marcos last week.

The investment will expand the company’s semiconductor back-end manufacturing operations, battery protection modules for hyperscale data centers, and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) technologies used in high-end smartphone cameras.

Part of the expansion includes the continued development of Cebu Mitsumi’s semiconductor 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.

MinebeaMitsumi will also invest around P5 billion in battery protection modules for hyperscale data centers and approximately P10 billion to expand manufacturing capacity for OIS technologies.

“MinebeaMitsumi is already one of the Philippines’ largest Japanese investments and employers, with around 22,000 workers across facilities in Cebu, Batangas and Bataan. With the company’s expansion, we expect around 3,000 additional jobs to be created locally. 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,” Roque said.

Banana export

Roque also said domestic banana producers could gain access to advanced AI and drone systems that help detect plant diseases earlier and improve plantation productivity after Japanese agri-tech firm E-SupportLink Ltd. expressed interest in expanding its operations in the Philippines.

Marcos, along with Secretaries Roque and Francis Tiu Laurel met with E-SupportLink Executive Vice President Hiroyuki Fukatsu and senior company officials on 27 May.

The long-term expansion plan builds on E-SupportLink’s ongoing partnership with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Science and Technology, and banana industry groups in Mindanao to test modern farming technologies for banana plantations.

The project uses drones, AI-assisted image analysis, and digital monitoring systems to help farmers better manage their crops.