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Taiga Uranaka
BUSINESS
Aug 26, 2005
Matsushita 65-inch PDP TV under 1 million yen
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Thursday it will offer the world's first full high-definition 65-inch plasma display panel TVs with a price tag of less than 1 million yen.
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2005
Sumitomo unit ups output of mosquito nets for Africa
Sumitomo Chemical Co. has been cranking up production of mosquito nets in response to soaring demand in Africa, where Japan's traditional sleeping screens with a modern twist have gained recognition as an effective weapon against malaria.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2005
Square Enix ready to acquire Taito
In the latest move amid industrywide reorganization, Square Enix Co., the maker of the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy video games, announced Monday it will acquire smaller rival Taito Corp. for 67 billion yen.
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Aug 23, 2005
DVD gives lesser players chance to shake up camcorder market
A major shift in recording media from tape to disc is taking place in the camcorder market, with manufacturers rapidly expanding their DVD-compatible model lineups.
BUSINESS
Aug 20, 2005
Don Quijote posts net profit, picks new execs
Discount retailer Don Quijote Co. said Friday it posted a 7.16 billion yen net profit for the year through June, marking 15 straight years of earnings growth despite a rash of apparent arson fires that hit the chain late last year, including one that was fatal.
BUSINESS
Aug 19, 2005
Wal-Mart revolution for Seiyu leaves shoppers cold
Supermarket chain Seiyu Ltd. said Thursday its first-half net loss widened to 10.59 billion yen, following a 2.88 billion yen loss a year earlier, as drastic changes in store operations caused confusion among staff.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 17, 2005
Innkeeper puts on her promotional face
Fumiko Motoya is one of the best-known faces of corporate Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 60 YEARS,AND ONWARD
Aug 13, 2005
Carmakers owe success to warplanes
The Japanese automobile industry has become a symbol of the nation's stellar postwar growth, but few may be aware that its rise owes much to the engineers who helped develop military aircraft during the war.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2005
Major brewers lose fizz in first half
Japan's four major brewers suffered during the January-June period, chiefly due to sluggish beer sales during the first three months of the year.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2005
Don Quijote buys big 'bento' stake
Discount retailer Don Quijote Co. said Thursday it has acquired a 23.62 percent stake in Origin Toshu Co., which runs a chain of shops selling "bento" boxed meals, for 8.09 billion yen.
BUSINESS
Aug 11, 2005
Softbank forecasting first operating profit since 2000
Softbank Corp. said Wednesday it is projecting a full-year operating profit for the first time since fiscal 2000 thanks to subscriber growth in its high-speed Internet connection services.
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2005
Cheap eats bite halfway into McDonald's profit
McDonald's Holdings Co. Japan said Tuesday its net profit for the first six months dropped by more than half to 474 million yen, dragged down by a cheap-menu campaign launched in April.
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2005
Japan Post stands firm on parcel delivery quest
Despite Monday's Upper House rejection of the bills to privatize Japan Post, the organization is expected to step up its door-to-door parcel delivery business, analysts and industry insiders say.
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2005
White knight rides to consultancy's rescue
A white knight in shining armor showed up in a high-profile corporate takeover battle Monday, when Eight Consultants Co. announced it would launch a tender offer bid for Japan Engineering Consultants Co.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2005
TVs skew electronics earnings
Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electronic Industrial Co. presented starkly different earnings reports Thursday as sales of flat-screen televisions altered the fortunes of the rival consumer electronics makers.
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2005
Longreach bags 25% of McDonald's
The Longreach Group, a private equity investment firm based in Hong Kong and Tokyo, said Wednesday that it acquired a 24.98 percent stake of McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) from the family of Den Fujita, the late founder of the burger chain's Japanese unit.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2005
Girding for competition, KDDI to absorb Tu-Ka units
KDDI Corp. said Monday it will absorb its Tu-Ka cellular phone subsidiaries on Oct. 1 as part of efforts to prepare itself for greater competition in the wireless telephone market.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2005
TSE outsiders panel meets, has yet to ponder regulatory spinoff option
A special advisory panel to the Tokyo Stock Exchange held its first meeting Wednesday with an eye toward submitting recommendations by fall on whether the bourse should spin off its regulatory functions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2005
Uniqlo chief hands helm back to founder Yanai
Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo casual clothing chain, said Thursday that President Genichi Tamatsuka will step down Aug. 31 and be replaced by Chairman and CEO Tadashi Yanai.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2005
KDDI to offer handsets for JR East payments
KDDI Corp. said Monday it will start a new service in January in which its handsets can be used as smart tickets for trains operated by East Japan Railway Co.

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