While the yen's surge and the recession may be battering the sales and profits of the country's blue-chip firms, others are making headway through the storm, posting record half-year profits even as the global financial turmoil hammers financial firms and export-driven manufacturers such as Sony Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp.
For example, many convenience store chains recorded their highest-ever operating profits, in part because people dined out less often and bought inexpensive ready-to-eat packaged meals instead.
The nation's second-biggest convenience store chain, Lawson Inc., said last month its net profit jumped 25.9 percent for the March-August half-year period to a record ¥15.5 billion from a year earlier.