Sony (NYSE:SNE) is bringing its mobile phone business closer to home.

The company has announced plans to move the headquarters of Sony Mobile from Lund, Sweden, to a location in Japan not far from its Tokyo headquarters Dow Jones notes.

Roughly 1,000 Sony employees in Sweden will lose their jobs as a result of the move. That represents a cut of 15% for Sony Mobile’s global workforce.

The transfer of operations back to Japan marks the end of Sony’s former joint venture with Swedish phone-maker Ericsson.  The two companies partnered in 2001 to compete in the global cell phone market. For almost a decade the partnership was successful. Sony Ericsson was the fourth largest cell phone maker, globally, in 2009, but saw its market share slide steadily as smartphone sales jumped.

Sony bought out Ericsson’s stake in the joint venture last year and renamed the business Sony Mobile.

The electronics giant has struggled in recent years to meet rising competition from South Korean companies like Samsung, as well as the ascent of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in personal audio technology, a market pioneered by Sony. In fact, the global smartphone market is currently dominated by Samsung and Apple, who together account for 55% of sales, compared to just 4% for Sony.

Shares of Sony slipped fractionally in Thursday morning trading.