Apple Planning “Cutting-Edge” R&D Facility In Japan

Apple is set to open a new, large-scale research and development facility in Japan, according to Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in a statement made to local media today. Reuters reports that Abe made the announcement ahead of Sunday’s general election, noting that a more formal declaration of the project would follow at a later date.

The details of the arrangement are scarce so far – Abe didn’t share any information about the specific nature or scale of the research facility, noting only that it would be comparable to the California company’s largest existing R&D facilities in Asia.

Apple is also said to be opening a new research facility in Cambridge, England, accordion to reports from last month. The facility in England would employ around 20 people at first, according to reports detailing the plan. Apple declined to comment on the Cambridge facility, and thus far has not provided any comment to TechCrunch on the subject of the proposed Japanese R&D project.

Other R&D facilities around the world include a Shangha centre which began operating in summer of 2013, confirmed by local city authorities. International R&D satellite offices, including its first outside of Cupertino, located in Israel, help Apple take advantage of knowledge centers and concentrations of experts and specialists beyond its home base. They also offer advantages in terms of business operation costs, taxation and other factors important to the bottom line, while letting Apple put more of its significant cash position back into future product development.

Update: Apple provided the following statement regarding the new facility –

We’re excited to expand our operations in Japan with a new Technical Development Center in Yokohama which will create dozens of new jobs. These new positions join our many employees in Japan, including eight retail stores. We are proud of our history here and we thank our many customers for their support over the 30 years Apple has been doing business in Japan.