R&D spending by 264 Japanese companies will increase 4% this fiscal year to JPY 11.6 trillion ($112 billion), compared to a 5.4% increase in fiscal 2014, according to a survey by Nikkei. About 20% of those firms will be building or expanding their R&D facilities overseas. The companies investing the most in R&D are Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor. Approximately 30% of R&D investment is by automobile and auto-parts companies, and 48.1% of corporations in that sector plan expansion abroad. Over 20% of materials companies and firms in electronics and information technology have similar plans. Some companies are partnering with universities and other research institutions abroad to increase R&D activity. The most popular regions for expansion are Southeast Asia and the US.

Source: Nikkei