Japan's Business SENSE by yourDragonXi Δ 8th of July 2017 Ω 12:55 AM

ΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ
~ Mitsubishi Heavy Industry (MHI) ~ China and Japan Business ~ Mobile Business in Japan	~ Core private-sector machinery ~ Electricity suppliers set sales record ~ Daiwa	~ Sumimoto Mitsui Financial Group ~ Raw-materials cost rise putting economy at risk ~ Mercari
~ Sanyo ~ Forbes: Nintendo's Yamauchi richest in Japan ~ Japan & Russia Trade	~ The Japan Times ~ EU and Japan Economics Partnership ~ sense for Ξ	~ Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ
~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ
~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	ξ ξ ξ
«Business Sensing	ξ	ξ
ΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Mitsubishi Heavy Industry (MHI)

»MHI

MHI News:

MHI deals in Turkey

ξ Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced that
ξ their jointly developed “Hitachi Ballast Water Purification System” obtained basic approval from IMO (*1)
ξ in accordance with the “Procedure for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems That Make Use of Active Substances” (*2) on April 2, 2008.
ξ Hitachi Plant Technologies recently started shipboard testing on a LPG tanker (Tank Capacity: 78,500 cubic meters) built by Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and
ξ owned by Yuyo Steamship Co., Ltd. from this April.
ξ The shipboard test equipment’s treatment capacity is 50 cubic meters per hour and testing will be conducted over one year ending in March, 2009.
ξ The testing includes verification for Type Approval (*3) by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan and
ξ practical evaluations for low maintenance and durability against vibration and corrosion.
ξ In parallel with the shipboard testing, Hitachi Plant Technologies will conduct land-based tests of an actual sized system with a treatment capacity of 200 cubic meters per hour,
ξ near Tokyo Bay, attempting to obtain IMO’s final approval in July, 2009, and thereafter,
ξ Type Approval by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
ξ Hitachi Plant Technologies is aggressively expanding our sales activities to obtain annual orders of 10 billion Yen by FY2012.

Outline of Hitachi Ballast Water Purification System
ξ Ballast water is sea water used as ballast for stabilizing hull balance.
ξ It usually contains unique plankton, viruses, mud and sand of the port where it is drawn from.
ξ During loading at another port, most of the ballast water is discharged along with the foreign organisms.
ξ This causes serious environmental damage to the local ecosystem.
ξ In response to this problem, “The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments” (Ballast Water Convention)
ξ was adopted at a Diplomatic Conference at IMO in February, 2004.
ξ it stipulates to gradually enforce “IMO Performance Standards” (*4),
ξ depending on when the ship was built and its ballast tank capacity for ships engaged in international navigation,
ξ with all ships adopting the standard by 2017.
ξ Hitachi Plant Technologies’ originally developed system utilizes coagulation technology
ξ generally used to remove plankton and organisms at water purification plants and
ξ magnetic separation technology which has been developed to remove algae in lakes or rivers.
ξ The coagulation method differs from the sterilizing method as it doesn’t use chlorine, ultraviolet rays, or any disinfectants.
ξ Therefore, no secondary contamination by residual chlorine occurs.

ξ Coagulating microorganisms into small flocs enables the use of coarse filters, resulting in high speed treatment and a compact design.
ξ Hitachi Plant Technologies conducted a verification test using a scale model (treatment capacity: 50 cubic meters per hour) from September to December, 2006 and confirmed its performance.
ξ The need to improve shipboard functionality and knowledge of advanced ship outfitting design is required for shipboard purification equipment.
ξ The joint development between Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd. and
ξ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. enabled the inter-business fusion to refine “Hitachi Ballast Water Purification System”

Features
(1) Can remove plankton, viruses and mud (including eggs of organisms and mold spores in mud) quickly and efficiently;
(2) As no disinfectants are used, there is no marine ecocide due to residual disinfectants;
(3) Greatly reduces mud accumulation in Ballast Tanks (seabed mud, sand and dead organisms), prolonging the life of the Ballast Tank’s internal paint, and also contributing to reduced mud disposal costs;
(4) Can remove phosphorus which is an essential nutrient of organism growth;
(5) Flexible design and varied product range is suitable for a wide range of capacities and can be modeled to fit into available spaces.

System Flow
(1) Intake sea water is treated,
ξ by adding a coagulant and magnetic powder to sea water in Coagulation and Flocculation Tanks and
ξ then agitating it causes the plankton, viruses and mud to coagulate into small 1 millimeter magnetic flocs.
(2) Flocs can then be collected with Magnetic Discs in a Magnetic Separator.
ξ Treated water is filtrated through a Filter Separator and
ξ injected into Ballast Tanks.

Other New:
ξ MHI has prepared a ¥40 billion plan, including a new factory in Thailand, to almost double turbocharger production
ξ plans to increase annual output of car turbochargers to 6.9 million units by the year ending March 31, 2012
ξ stricter emissions standards are fueling global demand for car turbochargers,
ξ which increase an engine's power and allow automakers to make engines smaller and more fuel-efficient

select: ~[Σ] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ China and Japan Business

ξ On March 5, Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to Japan,
ξ was invited to speak to members of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) for the first time in the organization's history.
ξ the invitation underlined the growing sense of urgency in Japanese business circles
ξ that Sino-Japanese relations need more constructive nurturing and positive developments than they have seen in the recent past.
ξ After various ups and downs throughout 2007,
ξ Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda appeared earlier this year to be building substantial positive momentum in improving the dialogue
ξ — that is, until it was revealed in late January that a number of people in Japan had fallen ill
ξ from pesticide-tainted "gyoza" meat and vegetable dumplings imported from China.
ξ The incident quickly mushroomed from a few isolated cases to one of national importance,
ξ but the facts behind the reported illnesses remain unclear.
ξ Neither side has convincingly traced the cause of the contamination.
ξ Meanwhile, many Japanese consumers have sworn off food from China,
ξ while some Chinese authorities have suggested the gyoza may have been deliberately sabotaged.
ξ The political fallout has been significant.
ξ Chinese President Hu Jintao was scheduled to visit Japan sometime in early April, following a gushing invitation from Fukuda.
ξ But the gyoza scare was serious enough to warrant a delay in this trip to May 6.
ξ The visit was to have been highly symbolic, as it would be the first by a Chinese president in 10 years,
ξ and was intended to mark the 30th anniversary of the Sino-Japanese peace treaty of 1978.
ξ But with both sides pointing fingers at the other, the situation has become temporarily ugly.

ξ It is also essential to note things have changed a lot since 1978.
ξ Japan has become increasingly dependent on China.
ξ The overall shift in the two economies now means Japan has more to lose from problems with or within China than vice versa.
ξ Japanese firms rely on the massive Chinese market and
ξ China's role in global supply-chain management for Japanese manufacturers has never been bigger.

ξ Dependence on food from China is also striking.
ξ Japan has been unable to meet its own nutritional requirements for decades and
ξ is only able to produce 40 percent of the food it consumes; much of the rest comes from China.

ξ With this fragile footing, Tomohiko Taniguchi, deputy press secretary of the Foreign Ministry, said,
ξ "We should not turn the gyoza poisoning incident into a political problem."
ξ It is in the middle of this unresolved gyoza quagmire that China found itself in its own predicament.
ξ The recent violence in Tibet has captured international attention and condemnation.
ξ The incident began as Tibetan monks marched in an anniversary protest of the invasion by Chinese forces on March 10, 1959.
ξ From the initially peaceful gatherings, the situation rapidly deteriorated to the level
ξ where Chinese armed forces were called in, and the resulting violence caused numerous fatalities — along with an international outcry.

ξ Two weeks ago, foreign diplomats and reporters were finally given a tour of the situation to see it with their own eyes.
ξ Although the authorities tried to keep tight control over the event, disruptions by Tibetan monks confirmed the suspicions of many — that the crackdown was brutal.
ξ The event has soured China's reputation worldwide, and
ξ many observers have been reminded of the vicious repression of the Tiananmen uprising of 1989.
ξ This is precisely the image China is eager to avoid, and
ξ its leaders viewed the holding of the Olympics in Beijing as a major step to overcoming this tarnished legacy.

ξ And so it was that in reference to the Tibetan crisis, new Vice President Xi Jinping said,
ξ "I believe that we should successfully host (the Beijing Olympics)
ξ while adhering to the principle of not allowing the politicizing of the Olympics."

ξ What is interesting to see is how China and Japan are both eager to avoid "politicizing" unpleasant topics.
ξ Indeed, the very term is something of a dirty word to both nations.
ξ China and Japan are not countries known for their political systems.
ξ Indeed, stretching the argument one can even say they resemble each other in that they have been almost completely dominated by single party rule for more than 50 years.
ξ But in the world of international relations, everything is political and it is naive to assume otherwise.
ξ The gyoza issue became political as soon as it was reported that the products came from China,
ξ and the Olympics have been political ever since 1936 and the Berlin Games. Or more recently, Moscow in 1980.

ξ The European reaction to the situation in Tibet has been predictable.
ξ French President Nicholas Sarkozy would not rule out his country boycotting the opening ceremonies and
ξ European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering warned that a complete boycott could be justified
ξ if China does not enter negotiations with Tibetan leaders.

ξ Japan has thus far cautiously avoided this kind of grandstanding.
ξ Considering its position as a country economically dependent on China, this was never an option.
ξ Businesspeople — and most politicians — understand this well.
ξ Instead, the more plausible alternative for Japan in 2008 is to step up as a kind of silent ally to China during its time of crisis.
ξ Do not expect Japanese leaders to speak out or to call for boycotting the Olympics.
ξ The risk of further worsening relations is far too dangerous, with little to gain and much to lose.

ξ In years to come, 2008 may be remembered as the year when Sino-Japanese relations flourished in the back rooms of business and political diplomacy.
ξ Japan's business leaders would very much like to see such an outcome, and
ξ will no doubt make utmost efforts to ensure political leaders from both sides get it right.

ξ /Jochen Legewie/, president of German communications consultancy CNC Japan K.K.

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Mobile Business in Japan

ξ Screams erupted from 22,000 young women in flowery frills, boots, really short shorts and glittery jewelry whenever a model
ξ — dressed similarly — waltzed down the runway in a Tokyo stadium.
ξ "Kawaii," cooed the women in Japanese. "Cute, adorable."
ξ As they gushed over the models and their outfits, many also pulled out their cell phones and placed orders for the clothes as the models marched past.
ξ Japanese do on cell phones almost anything that Americans do on computers:
ξ read e-mail and news, search for restaurants, blog and shop.
ξ Enough new mobile phones were sold in Japan last year — 52.3 million — for nearly half the population.
ξ The biannual Tokyo Girls Collection show, the brainchild of Tokyo startup Xavel Inc.,
ξ targets both the popularity of mobile devices and the fashion frenzy of trendy youngsters.
ξ Xavel runs girlswalker.com and fashionwalker.com,
ξ sites designed to be accessed from mobile phones as well as personal computers.
ξ And it welcomes retailers to sell their wares through the sites.
ξ Since its 1999 founding, Xavel has grown into such a big name that Toyota Motor Corp., Walt Disney Co.'s Japan mobile unit, Tiffany & Co.
ξ and other big retailers are signing on to participate in the shows.
ξ About 200 companies, mostly smaller local brands, sell through fashionwalker.com.
ξ Some 7 million people regularly read the girlswalker.com magazine site,
ξ while 3 million shop at fashionwalker.com each month,
ξ according to Xavel, which also runs a job-referral site
ξ that advertises positions in boutiques and other jobs likely to interest trendy women.
ξ Xavel won't disclose its sales commissions or the fee for taking part in the Tokyo Girls Collection show.
ξ But its 2007 revenue was ¥13 billion, mostly from advertising and direct sales.
ξ Sales at this month's one-day show in Tokyo totaled about ¥35 million, Xavel officials said.
ξ "The clothes are so cute. The models are so cute," said one enthusiast at the show, Emi Nogawa, 25,
ξ who planned to spend about ¥20,000 there.
ξ Xavel's success grows from marketing what it has dubbed "real clothes"
ξ — functional, everyday apparel — through cell phone communication and
ξ the fashion show, in contrast to the more arty design statements that make up the conventional fashion world's shows,
ξ said Ayako Nagaya, chief producer of Tokyo Girls Collection.
ξ Chanel, Christian Dior and other couture houses display their clothes months in advance
ξ so people look at winter clothes in the summer — and vice versa —
ξ at exclusive shows meant mainly for reporters and celebrities and their guests.
ξ Xavel peddles off-the-rack women's wear for the season in progress,
ξ carefully selecting affordable brands like Japan's new Titty & Co. and Spiral Girl.
ξ Most items cost ¥5,000 to ¥10,000, though some are pricier.
ξ Mizuko Ito, a cultural anthropologist and author of "Personal, Portable, Pedestrian: Mobile Phones in Japanese Life,"
ξ said cell phones and women's street fashions have been the major force driving cultural innovation since the 1990s.
ξ Women are behind the popularity of text-messaging,
ξ novels read on cell phones and "purikura," which are booths for taking snapshots and adding decorative computer graphics,
ξ said Ito, a professor at Keio University in Tokyo.
ξ "These are all important cultural trends that were created bottom-up from Japanese girls' culture," she said.
ξ "Japanese girls are not just consumers but makers of new technology uses and cultural trends."
ξ Xavel said the success of Tokyo Girls Collection goes beyond sales and
ξ gives participating companies exposure to young women worth ¥2.4 billion in annual advertising spending.
ξ Between fashion segments at the latest show, Toyota showed a red car on the catwalk with cheerleaders dancing with red pompoms.
ξ "We set up the show so fashion brands, Toyota and other companies become part of an exciting event," said Nagaya, the show's producer.
ξ The stereotype that Japanese covet expensive imported brands has been shattered, Nagaya said.
ξ Women these days want carefree, hip clothes that have their street-style aesthetic in mind.
ξ "Women are dressing up to please themselves, no longer to appeal to men," she said, adding they also are becoming more creative.
ξ "There are so many different needs in fashion. Gone are the days that everyone wore the same thing."
ξ Westerners and some older Japanese may brush off recent Xavel offerings like "Beautiful Skin People,"
ξ a novel for reading on mobile phones that stars women with doe eyes and curly hair and is illustrated in "manga" comic-book style.
ξ But the facial mask one character used — also available on fashionwalker.com — sold 24,000 sheets a day.
ξ The mask was such a hit it began to be sold in drugstores as well.
ξ In 2006, Tokyo Girls Collection was shown in Paris, and it is going to China this year. Talks have begun to bring it to the U.S.
ξ As the show goes mainstream, however, fans say it is no longer what it used to be.
ξ "Sure, the scale of the show is so much bigger now. But there are just too many people," said Shino Suzuki, 17.

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Core private-sector machinery

ξ the reading compared with the average market projection of a 13.8 percent drop
ξ core private-sector machinery orders are regarded as a leading indicator of corporate capital spending about six months ahead.
ξ the core orders exclude those for ships and from electric power companies, as they tend to vary widely due to their large size.
ξ some economists said they are not fully optimistic about the outlook of business spending
ξ because other government data suggest that Japanese companies are becoming cautious about increasing capital spending amid growing uncertainty over the global economy

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Electricity suppliers set sales record

ξ Power sales by Japan's 10 regional electric utilities in fiscal 2007 rose 3.3 percent from the previous year to a new high of 1.0034 trillion kwh,
ξ rewriting the record for the fourth straight year
ξ The sales, excluding sales to each other, exceeded 1 trillion kwh for the first time on severe summer and winter weather conditions
ξ that resulted in greater demand for electricity for cooling and heating purposes, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan said
ξ Power demand at large-lot users such as industrial plants increased amid robust production, it added.
ξ In the year ended March 31, the 10 utilities each posted record power sales excluding sales to each other.
ξ The capacity utilization rate at nuclear plants, including those of Japan Atomic Power Co., fell 9.2 percentage points to 60.7 percent
ξ as Tokyo Electric Power Co. shut down a large nuclear station in Niigata Prefecture due to a strong earthquake last July.
ξ Nuclear power generation fell 13.1 percent from the previous year

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Daiwa

Daiwa Securities SMBC

ξ Daiwa Securities Co. is set to begin selling environment-linked investment trusts
ξ that are partly administered by an investment management firm established by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore
ξ The Russell Global Environmental Technology Fund will invest in companies renowned for environmentally friendly technology,
ξ with the initial fund aimed at totaling ¥105 billion
ξ Investors can buy into the investment trusts at a minimum price of ¥100,000
ξ The fund is managed by four firms, including
ξ London-based Generation Investment Management LLP, which was established in 2004 by Gore
ξ The fund as a whole will be managed mainly by Russell Investment Management Ltd., an Australian investment services firm
ξ Gore's Generation Investment Management will carry out long-term investments in 30 to 50 firms
ξ selected by an advisory committee composed of experts in environmental business
ξ The other three investment management firms are
ξ Impax Asset Management Ltd.,
ξ Arrowstreet Capital L.P. and
ξ Global Currents Investment Management LLC.

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Sumimoto Mitsui Financial Group

»Sumimoto Mitsui Financial Group

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Raw-materials cost rise putting economy at risk

ξ Economic growth in Japan is at risk as soaring costs of raw materials squeeze profits
ξ forcing companies to cut spending and wages
ξ growing demand in China and other emerging economies is causing higher fuel and commodity prices worldwide
ξ threatening to fan inflation in Japan and elsewhere
ξ China's economy may overtake Germany's as the world's third-biggest 2008
ξ expanded 10.6 percent last quarter and inflation was close to the fastest pace in 11 years
ξ rising materials costs drove Japan's wholesale inflation rate in March to its highest in 27 years,
ξ hurting profits at companies including Nippon Steel Corp
ξ the Bank of Japan cited surging energy and materials prices as the reason for cutting its assessment of the domestic economy last week
ξ "Japan's biggest import product from China right now is inflation,"
ξ said Kyohei Morita, chief economist at Barclays Capital Japan Ltd.
ξ "If Japanese companies reflect rising costs of materials in their consumer goods,
ξ that will directly hurt households, who haven't seen much wage growth."
ξ Nippon Steel, the world's second-biggest maker of the alloy,
ξ agreed last week to pay BHP Billiton Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corp. three times more for coking coal this year
ξ Crude oil surged to a record $115.21 a barrel
ξ Some companies are already foisting higher costs of oil and food onto households

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Mercari

»mercari.com

Mercari fundraised $74 million (8.4 billion yen) in a series D round
Participating investors include
Globis Capital Partners,
World Innovation Lab (WiL),
Global Brain,
Mercari’s board members,
Mitsui & Co., Development Bank of Japan, and
Japan Co-invest Limited Partnership.

With the latest funding, the company has fundraised a total of $110 million (1.26 billion yen) since its launch in February 2013.

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Sanyo

»Sanyo
ξ to launch mass production of lower-cost thin-film solar cells around 2010
ξ to boost investment to ¥7.5 billion from an earlier-planned ¥6 billion in its solar cell development center in Gifu Prefecture over the next three years
ξ the thin-film cell uses only one-hundredth of the silicon used for a conventional version, achieving a substantial cut in price

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Forbes: Nintendo's Yamauchi richest in Japan

Forbes magazine's 10 richest people in Japan and their estimated net worth:

01. Hiroshi Yamauchi, $7.8 billion

02. Akira Mori, $7.7 billion

03. Kunio Busujima, $5.4 billion

04. Nobutada Saji, $5.3 billion

05. Masayoshi Son, $5.1 billion

06. Tadashi Yanai, $4.7 billion

07. Eitaro Itoyama, $4.5 billion

08. Hiroshi Mikitani, $3.8 billion

09. Takemitsu Takizaki, $3.2 billion

10. Hiroko Takei, $3.1 billion

Hiroshi Yamauchi
ξ former chairman of Nintendo Co., the world's biggest maker of hand-held game machines
ξ overtook property developer Akira Mori to become the richest person in Japan
ξ Yamauchi, 80, saw his net worth soar last year by $3 billion to $7.8 billion on surging sales of Nintendo's Wii game console
ξ rose to first place from third in the magazine's annual list of the 40 richest people in Japan

Mori, 71
ξ chief executive of closely held real estate developer Mori Trust Co.
ξ ranked second after his net worth gained $2.2 billion to $7.7 billion

Japan's 40 wealthiest
ξ are worth $89.9 billion in 2008
ξ up $10.7 billion from 2007
ξ the list is also graying, with an average age of 66, including nine octogenarians, three more than two years ago

Kunio Busujima
ξ 83, chairman of pachinko machine maker Sankyo Co.,
ξ came third with a net worth of $5.4 billion, up $1.1 billion from 2007

Kenji Kasahara
ξ an exception to the trend is 32-year-old Kenji Kasahara
ξ founder of Mixi Inc., Japan's largest social-networking Web site
ξ is the first member of the rich list under the age of 40 since former Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie.

Horie
ξ was sentenced last year to 30 months in prison for securities fraud
ξ found guilty of inflating profits he used to seek control of a radio network that had a stake in Fuji Television Network Inc

A minimum
ξ net worth of $715 million was needed to make the top 40, up from $610 million 2007
ξ Forbes compiled the list using April 25,2008 stock prices and exchange rates

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Japan & Russia Trade

»MHI Receives First Russian Order for M701F Gas Turbine

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ The Japan Times

»The Japan Times

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ EU and Japan Economics Partnership<

EU and Japan Economics Partnership
ξ European Union and Japan reached an agreement in principle on the main elements of an Economic Partnership Agreement
ξ also political agreement on the main elements of a Strategic Partnership Agreement
ξ EU exports to Japan are valued over 80 billion euro (USD 91 billion) yearly
ξ more than 600,000 thousand jobs in the EU are linked to exports to Japan
ξ agreement will remove the vast majority of duties paid by EU companies
ξ opens the Japanese market to key EU agricultural exports and increase opportunities in a range of sectors
ξ Japan and EU account for 30 percent of GDP
ξ 10 percent of the population
ξ and 40 percent of the trade of the world

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East

»Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω] ~[Δ]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

select: ~[Σ] ~[Ω]!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Small & Smart Inc reserves rights to change this document without any notice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~