TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Yageo has finalized its takeover of Japan’s Shibaura Electronics, marking a historic first for a foreign company completing an unsolicited acquisition of a major Japanese firm, Nikkei Asia reported Tuesday.
The Taiwanese electronic components maker said its tender offer closed with an acceptance rate of 87.3%, setting the stage to make Shibaura a wholly owned subsidiary by early next year.
The acquisition, valued at about NT$22.16 billion (US$723 million), concludes a months-long battle that drew attention across Taiwanese and Japanese business communities. Yageo described the move as a pivotal advancement in its global strategy and reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Japan’s high-tech manufacturing sector.
Yageo first announced its unsolicited bid in February and opened the tender offer in May. It later raised its price to NT$1,450 per share, outbidding domestic rival Minebea Mitsumi, which had intervened as a white knight with a NT$1,250 offer.
Japan’s Ministry of Finance approved the acquisition on Sept. 2 after reviewing it under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. The decision cleared the final regulatory hurdle for the deal.
Shibaura is the world’s largest producer of negative temperature coefficient thermistors, temperature sensors used in semiconductor and automotive applications. Its integration will expand Yageo’s reach beyond capacitors and resistors.
