TOKYO: Japanese companies have been invited to continue expanding their investments in Malaysia, particularly in high-technology sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and digital industries.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia has progressed from an economy based on rubber and tin to one based on oil and gas and is now strengthening its position as a regional hub for the electrical and electronics (E&E) and semiconductor industries.
“We have become a semiconductor hub in the region, and that sector is expanding very rapidly. We have seen very large exports from the E&E sector,” he said in his introductory remarks at a roundtable session with 29 selected Japanese business leaders here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Malaysia, he said, is prioritising emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital industries and quantum computing, while continuing to support traditional sectors, including oil and gas.
Anwar expressed appreciation for the Japanese industry’s long-standing role in Malaysia’s economic development.
“Many of you are familiar with Malaysia, have been to Malaysia, and I come here to thank you, many captains of the Japanese industry, for your support,” he said.
Japanese companies, he said, were among the earliest investors in Malaysia following independence, helping drive its industrialisation journey.
He underscored the growing cooperation between Malaysian and Japanese universities and research institutions, including his visit to the University of Tokyo, whose Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology will soon collaborate with the International Islamic University of Malaysia on high-level research.
Earlier, Anwar met executives from six Japanese companies – IBM, Mitsubishi Corporation, ENEOS Corporation, Shizen Energy, DENSO Corporation and Marubeni Corporation – to discuss investment opportunities.
During a special lecture titled Humanity in a Human-Machine Civilisation at the University of Tokyo, Anwar said that AI development must be guided by ethics, human values and a deep understanding of society to ensure technological progress remains inclusive and sustainable.
The future, he said, would belong to those who can combine technological excellence with a deep understanding of society and human values.
AI must ultimately serve real development needs, including improving public services, boosting productivity and supporting key sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, engineering and the civil service, he said.
Anwar stressed that AI does not arrive with a fixed purpose but is shaped by human decisions through laws, institutions and moral responsibility.
While Malaysia fully embraces technological advancement, he said AI must ultimately serve people and strengthen humanity rather than diminish it, with societies preserving values such as conscience, responsibility, integrity and care.
“We must build systems that serve human beings and enrich our humanity, not debase it,” he said.
Asked by a Malaysian student how they could contribute to the country’s AI agenda, Anwar said Malaysian students in Japan must play a central role in driving Malaysia’s AI ambitions towards 2030.
He said their role extends beyond academic achievement and carries a broader responsibility shaped by their exposure to Japanese society and culture.
“That is why you are sent here,” he said.
There are about 2,000 Malaysian government-sponsored students in Japan now.
Anwar joked that the abbreviation “AI” could refer not only to artificial intelligence, but also to “Anwar Ibrahim”, drawing laughter from the audience.
He is on a three-day visit to Japan, accompanied by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani and Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim.
