Taiwanese semiconductor design house MediaTek announced on October 1 the establishment of its Japanese branch, MediaTek Japan. In addition, the company set up a sales spot in Shin Yokohama, south of Tokyo, and an R&D center in Akihabara, Tokyo.

MediaTek aims to foray into the Japanese semiconductor market focusing on DSC (Digital Still Camera), Blu-ray DVD player, HD (High-Definition) digital TV, and GPS (Global Positioning System) as its four main product lines. The company is reported to have obtained Sony's orders for chips used in DVD players and DSCs, and is seeking to land orders from Matsushita and Pentax via its collaboration with NuCORE, in which MediaTek has acquired a 69% stake.