Samsung opens Yokohama R&D hub as Lee Jae-yong holds surprise lunch with Japanese Senate delegation

Samsung Electronics has launched operations at a new advanced semiconductor packaging research and development center in Yokohama, Japan, while Chairman Lee Jae-yong separately held an unscheduled lunch with a visiting Japanese Senate delegation — moves that underscore the company's push to deepen technology ties with Japan's materials, components and equipment ecosystem.

According to business and diplomatic sources, Lee met the Japanese Senate delegation at an undisclosed location in Seoul on Monday. The meeting was not on his original schedule, but Lee made a surprise appearance and exchanged views on semiconductors, AI and avenues for Korea-Japan cooperation.

The lunch was attended by Hiraki Daisaku, chairman of Komeito's parliamentary affairs committee and a member of the House of Councillors; Fukuyama Tetsuro, vice president of the House of Councillors; Kawai Takanori, secretary-general of the Democratic Party for the People's House of Councillors caucus; Umemura Mizuho, deputy secretary-general of the Sanseito party's House of Councillors caucus; and Mizushima Koichi, Japan's ambassador to South Korea.

On the Samsung Electronics side, Kim Won-kyung, president of the company's Global Public Affairs office, also attended. Kim is a diplomacy and trade specialist who previously served as chief negotiator for the Korea-US free trade agreement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and currently oversees Samsung Electronics' global external affairs.

Following the lunch, Hiraki said he asked Lee about "the outlook for the semiconductor business, which is booming on the back of AI, the company's overall future strategy, areas of collaboration with Japan, and talent development and recruitment," adding that Lee "responded sincerely and earnestly."

The meeting has drawn attention as it aligns with Samsung Electronics' broader effort to position Japan as a key hub for advanced semiconductor technology cooperation.

Since 2024, Samsung Electronics has committed 40 billion yen ($258 million) over five years to developing next-generation packaging technology in Japan, with a total investment of 350 billion won.

As part of that effort, the company opened its Advanced Package Lab (APL), an advanced semiconductor back-end process research center, in Minato Mirai, Yokohama, on Sept. 8. The facility is intended to generate synergies with Japanese companies that have strengths in semiconductor materials, components and equipment.

The APL currently employs 95 Korean and Japanese researchers working on back-end process materials evaluation and mass production technology. Samsung Electronics plans to expand the research staff to more than 100 by 2027, with the APL serving as a hub for joint research with Japanese materials, components and equipment firms and research institutions as the company works to sharpen its competitiveness in next-generation packaging technology.

Samsung's R&D ties with Japan stretch back more than 30 years. The company established a research office in Japan in 1992 and set up its own research building in Yokohama in 1997. In 2023, it launched Samsung DS R&D Japan (DSRJ) to strengthen the research capabilities of its Device Solutions semiconductor division, further expanding its semiconductor research footprint in the country.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Senate delegation also visited SK Group's headquarters during their stay in South Korea. According to Hiraki, the two sides exchanged views on the outlook for semiconductor businesses including DRAM, NAND flash and HBM, as well as the opportunities and risks that AI technology presents.