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Taiga Uranaka
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.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2004
Yoshinoya cooks up a 573 million yen profit
Yoshinoya D&C Co., which used to be the country's largest "gyudon" chain before U.S. beef was banned a year ago, said Monday it returned to profitability during the three months ended Nov. 30.
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2004
Skymark soars into the black with 1.3 billion yen profit
Skymark Airlines Co. said Friday it posted its first-ever full-year profit, thanks to a flight increase made possible by a fleet expansion.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2004
Don Quijote president to quit over fatal fire
Don Quijote Co. President Takao Yasuda said Tuesday he intends to step down to take responsibility for the three employees who died earlier in the day in one of two suspicious fires that struck its outlets in Saitama Prefecture.
Japan Times
Dec 15, 2004
Don Quijote president to quit over fatal fire
Don Quijote Co. President Takao Yasuda said Tuesday he intends to step down to take responsibility for the three employees who died earlier in the day in one of two suspicious fires that struck its outlets in Saitama Prefecture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2004
Toy maker Takara needs Christmas gift: renewed demand
It isn't likely to be a very merry Christmas for Keita Sato this year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2004
Cell phones answer music players' call
After e-mail, Internet access and cameras, music will likely be the next killer application for cell phones in Japan, where online distribution is yet to catch on.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2004
Think tanks see big profit for large companies in '04
Japan's large corporations are expected to post double-digit profit growth for fiscal 2004, according to updated forecasts issued Thursday by two private research institutes.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?