MANILA, Philippines — Driven by high-level bilateral economic talks and the country’s growing reputation as a precision manufacturing hub, a major Japanese wellness corporation is preparing to establish a footprint on local shores. Tokyo-based precision device manufacturer Tanita Corporation is actively evaluating the Philippines as the primary destination for its next major international production base.
The planned facility, designated as “Factory No. 3,” would build upon Tanita’s existing manufacturing network currently operating inside Japan and China.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina Roque formally announced the potential venture following high-profile investor roundtables held during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent four-day state visit to Japan. The commercial scope of the project highlights major domestic industrial growth:
[ TANITA "FACTORY NO. 3" ROADMAP ]
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[ FINANCIAL TRAJECTORY ] [ INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ]
• **₱2 Billion in Export Sales:** Expected projection • **Integrated Assembly:** The hub will manage parts
within five years of establishing commercial operations. processing, heavy assembly, and tech inspection loops.
• **500 High-Value Jobs:** Slated to create specialized • **Global Export Network:** Built to directly supply major
positions for Filipino technicians and engineers. markets in Japan, Europe, the Americas, and wider Asia.
The DTI noted that Philippine officials successfully leveraged the country’s extensive electronics assembly infrastructure and competitive fiscal incentives under the CREATE MORE Act to position Manila ahead of competing ASEAN locations.
Tanita is globally recognized for its precision engineering in tracking and diagnostic wellness tech. The planned Philippine facility would look to process and assemble parts for several of their core product segments:
[ THE MANUFACTURING GRID ]
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[ HEALTH ANALYTICS ] [ SAFETY SENSING ] [ COMMERCIAL TOOLS ]
• Body Composition Analyzers • Breathalyzers & Alcohol Gas • Commercial Kitchen Scales
• Digital Weighing Scales Detectors • Precision Step Trackers
The DTI roundtable meetings yielded secondary investment roadmaps beyond the medical device sector. Japanese agri-tech company E-SupportLink Ltd. concurrently expressed formal interest in scaling up its specialized digital footprint across the agricultural corridors of Mindanao.
[ E-SUPPORTLINK TECH INTEGRATION ]
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[ DRONE AND IMAGE COGNITION ] [ PAN-CROP DIGITAL LOGISTICS ]
• **Fusarium Tracking:** Using specialized drones paired with AI • **Strengthening Food Security:** Intended to reinforce the
image analysis to track and identify Fusarium wilt infections domestic banana sector after the country successfully regained
("Panama disease") early in local crop fields. its spot as the world's second-largest banana exporter.
• **Target Scale:** Expanding the tracking software from raw • **Future Pipelines:** The DA and DOST are looking to transfer
banana fields to other key crop sectors like coconut, pineapple, the real-time monitoring tech to protect cacao and coconut
and cacao plantations. communities from sudden fungal outbreaks.
The sudden wave of high-tech interest comes on the back of approximately ₱266.3 billion in total investment pledges secured during the administration’s recent diplomatic trip to Tokyo. Trade Secretary Roque re-verified that the government is aggressively shifting its investment recruitment strategy away from low-cost labor and moving toward forward-looking, innovation-driven sectors. By drawing in precision healthcare leaders like Tanita and digital logistics firms like E-SupportLink, the state intends to permanently establish the country as a highly competitive regional hub for preventive healthcare, advanced electronics, and smart agriculture.
