Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe, a subsidiary of Japan's Fujitsu Ltd, has announced plans for a £29.4 million sterling (€48 million) engineering centre in Belfast.

The investment, the largest by a Japanese company in Northern Ireland, should lead to the creation of 400 jobs for skilled engineers over the next four years.

Announcing the investment, Northern Ireland's Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Sir Reg Empey, said: "This is a massive stamp of approval from one of the world's leading technology companies for Northern Ireland as a centre of excellence in the development of knowledge-led products for communications, including the Internet."

The latest investment is the fourth by Fujitsu in Northern Ireland since 1996. It will incorporate the company's existing software operation in Belfast, which currently employs 30 people and was targeted to grow to 150.

The centre will be responsible for developing and testing advanced communications products for Fujitsu in Europe and North America.

Fujitsu has been offered financial assistance of £3.9 million sterling by the Industrial Development Board (IDB) towards the cost of the investment.

The company said its decision to locate the project in Belfast was influenced by its successful experience of doing business in Northern Ireland since 1992. It also said that the North's universities produce some of the best-qualified information technology and engineering graduates in Europe.