Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (TOKYO: 8036, Hitachi High-Tech) announced today that it has reached

a basic agreement with Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) to acquire all of the shares of its wholly owned subsidiary SII

NanoTechnology Inc. (SII NanoTech). Once complete, this transfer of ownership will make SII NanoTech a

wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi High-Tech.

Pending regulatory approval, the parties plan to conclude a share transfer agreement that will aim to carry out the

share acquisition in fall 2012.

Reasons for the Acquisition-

Hitachi High-Tech leverages its own world-leading technology, and global sales capability and network to

promote business. Guided by its corporate vision of “Becoming a global top in high-tech solutions,” the Hitachi

High-Tech Group has formulated its Long-term Management Strategy (CS11: Corporate Strategy 2011), and is

aggressively promoting business development in growth fields. In this context, Science & Medical Systems, one

of the Group’s in-house product divisions, is pursuing a three-pronged growth strategy: (1) Reinforce and

augment core technologies, (2) Enter new and growth markets, and (3) Strengthen the competitiveness and lineup

of general-purpose analytical instruments.

SII NanoTech, for its part, is a company with a history in the development, manufacture and sale of competitive

products in analytical and measuring instruments and other cutting-edge fields, grounded in the management

philosophy of providing its customers solutions and contributing to social progress through the pursuit of

proprietary technology.

SII NanoTech’s operations are highly compatible with and complementary to Hitachi High-Tech’s own business.

Consequently, Hitachi High-Tech determined that the conversion of SII NanoTech into a wholly owned subsidiary

has the potential to enhance its own core technologies, particularly in X-rays, thermal analysis, ion optics, and

physical measurement technologies. The move is also expected to strengthen Hitachi High-Tech’s business

portfolio through the addition of products to the lineup.

Going forward, Hitachi High-Tech will strive to create synergies with Science & Medical Systems’ manufacturing,

sales and services, while simultaneously launching cutting-edge applications, in a bid to further enhance

competitiveness and enter new and growth markets.