TOKYO, February 1, 2021 -- Ube Industries, Ltd. (herein "Ube Industries;" President: Masato Izumihara) announced today that it sold its entire stake in Kyocera-Ube RF TEC Corporation (herein "Kyocera-Ube RF TEC;" President: Takanori Konishi), a joint venture between Ube Industries and Kyocera Corporation (herein "Kyocera;" President: Hideo Tanimoto), to its joint venture partner Kyocera effective January 28, 2021.

The market for 5G mobile communications systems that enable large-capacity and low-latency communications with multi-connectivity is projected to see further growth in the future. In December 2019, Ube Industries sold 51% stake in the wholly-owned subsidiary Ube Electronics, Ltd., which manufactures ceramic filter components for communication systems, to Kyocera. The move was aimed at combining Ube Electronics' filter design technology with Kyocera's manufacturing technology and global sales network to further expand the business. The joint venture was named Kyocera-Ube RF TEC.

While the market for 5G communication systems is growing as projected, faster decision-making is needed to keep up with a rapidly evolving 5G market. Furthermore, increasing importance is being placed on the integration of components into systems, lessening the emphasis on solitary components such as ceramic filters and demanding a broader range of technology and expertise.

These circumstances require that Kyocera-Ube RF TEC further increase its collaboration with Kyocera in the 5G communication business and speed up its development, making it desirable for Kyocera to fully oversee the operation of the business and resulting in Ube Industries' decision to sell its entire stake in Kyocera-Ube RF TEC to Kyocera.