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Taiga Uranaka
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2005
Willcom to offer first flat-rate PHS service
Willcom Inc., Japan's largest personal handy-phone system company, said Tuesday it will introduce a flat rate for voice communication starting May 1, becoming the first domestic wireless carrier to provide such service.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2005
Horie lauds new rules, says 'friendly' deal was dead end
Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie said Thursday he welcomes the capital market regulations set to be introduced in the wake of his firm's controversial bid to acquire Nippon Broadcasting System Inc.
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2005
JR East lets DoCoMo handsets serve as tickets
East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday it will start a new service in January that allows NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s smart-card cell phone handsets to be used as train tickets.
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2005
Don Quijote sees strong earnings despite fires
Discount retailer Don Quijote Co. said Tuesday it expects double-digit earnings growth for the year through June, despite a spate of apparent arson fires, including a fatal blaze, that hit its outlets late last year.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2005
Kirin brewed 49.1 billion yen net profit in 2004
Kirin Brewery Co. said Friday its net profit for 2004 jumped 52 percent to 49.1 billion yen, thanks to the strong performance of its nonalcohol and overseas beer subsidiaries.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2005
FamilyMart to introduce 'konbini' to Americans
When FamilyMart Co. opens a store in Hollywood, Calif., in July, the first Japanese convenience store in the U.S. might not be perceived as such by locals.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2005
McDonald's Japan posts first profit in three years
McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) said Thursday it returned to profit in 2004 for the first time in three years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2005
Toyota family scion seen being groomed for helm
Toyota Motor Corp. announced Wednesday that Senior Managing Director Akio Toyoda, a scion of the founding family, will become an executive vice president, in what is widely speculated as a step toward the top job at the nation's largest automaker.
BUSINESS
Feb 9, 2005
Kirin set to dive into quasi-beer fray
Kirin Brewery Co. announced Tuesday it will release a malt-free beerlike alcoholic beverage on April 6, joining its biggest rival Asahi Breweries Ltd. in the so-called third-beer market pioneered by Sapporo Breweries Ltd. and Suntory Ltd.
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2005
Vodafone K.K. inserts Morrow as president as subscribers fall
The Japanese unit of global mobile-phone carrier Vodafone Group Plc. said Monday that Bill Morrow, head of the group's British operations, will replace Shiro Tsuda as president just two months after Tsuda assumed the position.
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2005
Matsushita upgrades '04 profit forecast
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Friday it had revised upward its full-year operating profit forecast by 7 percent to 300 billion yen, in stark contrast to Sony and Toshiba, which have cut their outlooks.
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2005
Hitachi to acquire majority stake in PDP tieup with Fujitsu
Hitachi Ltd. said Wednesday it will acquire a majority stake in a 50-50 plasma display panel manufacturing joint venture with Fujitsu Ltd., as it aims to bolster its PDP TV business amid intensifying competition.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2005
Yoshinoya plans 'gyudon' sales for one day only
Yoshinoya D&C Co. said Tuesday it will serve "gyudon" bowls of beef-on-rice for one day only on Feb. 11 to mark the first anniversary since the popular dish disappeared from the chain.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2005
Toshiba outlook cut as chips plunge
Toshiba Corp. said Monday it has slashed its projected operating profit for the full year to March by 30 billion yen to 160 billion yen, joining a growing list of technology firms that are revising their outlooks due to a slowdown in the sector.
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2005
Canon logs record net profit despite snarling competition
Canon Inc. said Friday its net profit for 2004 jumped 25 percent from a year earlier to a record 343.34 billion yen, driven by robust sales of multifunctional copiers, laser printers and digital cameras.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2005
Sony operating profit down 13% on poor electronics sales in quarter
Sony Corp. said Thursday its operating profit dropped 13 percent on a year-on-year basis to 138.2 billion yen in the October-December period, dragged down by weak sales of conventional televisions and portable audio products.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jan 28, 2005
Epson's bold gamble leaves door ajar for Canon
Pole position in Japan's home printer market changed hands in 2004 for the first time in eight years, with the two principal rivals in the sector pursuing starkly contrasting product strategies.
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2005
Elpida cuts profit forecast due to weakening digital market
Elpida Memory Inc., a major maker of computer memory chips, said Monday it has nearly halved its net profit forecast for the year through March, blaming weak digital camera and DVD recorder sales.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2004
Dentsu poll finds year's top 10 consumer darlings
2004 saw many things strike the fancy of Japanese consumers, especially on the big screen at home, to the extent that some became social phenomena.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2004
Daiei, Misawa to get IRCJ bailout
The Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan made it official Tuesday: It will support ailing retailer Daiei Inc. and Misawa Homes Holdings Inc. in what would be the biggest and probably the last case taken on by the bailout agency.

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