Apple is opening a new research and development center in Japan

Apple is set to open a new, large-scale research and development facility in Japan, according to Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in a statement made to local media today. Reuters reports that Abe made the announcement ahead of Sunday’s general election, noting that a more formal declaration of the project would follow at a later date. The details of the arrangement are scarce so far – Abe didn’t share any information about the specific nature or scale of the research facility, noting only that it would be comparable to the California company’s largest existing R&D facilities in Asia. Apple is also said to be opening a new research facility in Cambridge, England, accordion to reports from last month. The facility in England would employ around 20 people at first, according to reports detailing the plan. Apple declined to comment on the Cambridge facility, and thus far has not provided any comment to TechCrunch on the subject of the proposed Japanese R&D project.