J-CAST Business News
Japan's leading business news website, provided in English and Japanese. Full of useful, practical business tips and know-hows. Chinese site to be launched soon.



Fuji Heavy Industries? flat engine FR cars. Can they answer worldwide expectations? (May 2)

   Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. decided to stop developing and producing mini cars this year that marks the 50th anniversary of the sale of "Subaru 360" cars. As a reason for the decision, Kunio Mori, president of the company, told reporters that the company was determined to concentrate all its resources on its core business. What he meant by the core business was the horizontally opposed engines (flat engines) and cars by powered by them. To protect such models of cars as the "Legacy" and "Impressa" that would lose the characteristics as the company's cars unless they are powered by the flat engines, the company seems to have had no choice but give up mini cars.

Information on Chinese stocks strengthened: MSN Money (Apr 25)

   The online business group of Microsoft will strengthen the information on Chinese stocks on the website to provide financial information MSN (R) Money. It began a special article, "Beijing 2008 Special Report - Following the Yuan and Chinese stocks," on April 15, 2008 jointly with Xinhua Finance Japan Ltd.

Audi A4 Avant with special specifications on market (Apr 24)

?A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI Quattro Dynamic Line Black Limited/White Limited? sold by Audi Japan

   Audi Japan KK has been selling the "A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI Quattro Dynamic Line Black Limited/White Limited," which is an "A4 Avant" car with special specifications, since April 15, 2008.

About 90% of women in teens and 20?s surf or handle cell phones while watching TV (Apr 23)

   More women than men and more young people than old ones answered that they "very often" or "sometimes" do to a question, "do you surf on the internet or use cell phones while watching TV?" in a survey on "access to information and media" conducted by NTT Advertising, Inc. and announced on Aprils 16, 2008.

Tokyo accounts for 10% of Japan's total population. Population concentrating on greater metropolitan areas (Apr 22)

   Japan's population stood at an estimated 127,771,000, more or less levelling off from the previous year, according to Japan's population estimate (as of Oct. 1, 2007) announced by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry on April 15, 2008. By the prefectures, the population of Tokyo, the most populated area in the country, increased 0.78% over the previous year to 12,758,000, accounting for 10% of the total. The increase rate of the Tokyo population was highest across the country. It was for the first time in 28 years that Tokyo's population accounted for 10% of the total.

What happened to Docomo? Market share plummeted under its own weight to below 50% (Apr 21)

   The market share of the leading mobile phone company NTT DoCoMo has reportedly dipped below 50% for the first time in 11 years. Many new companies have joined in the mobile phone industry, and the "tycoon" DoCoMo has been cornered as the new companies have introduced a wide variety of payment plans for their customers.

Nissan to begin selling 5-seat, sports-type ?Livina C-Gear? in China (Apr 18)

Nissan Livina C-Gear

   Nissan Motor Co. will begin selling the "Livina C-Gear," the third model in the Livina series designed primarily for global market, in China to start with before the new car will be put on the markets of other countries, the company announced on April 7, 2008.

Bankruptcies in FY07 up 18%. Biggest since FY01: Teikoku Databank (Apr 17)

   Corporate bankruptcies in Japan totalled 11,333 cases in fiscal 2007with debt of 10 million yen or more each, up 18.4% over the previous year and largest since fiscal 2001, the private credit research company Teikoku Databank announced on April 8, 2008. The total debt of the bankrupt companies also turned to an uptrend at 5,532,286 million yen, up 5.2% over the previous year.

New ?mobile-net? bank to be called ?Jibun Bank? (Apr 16)

   The "mobile-net" bank to accommodate clients over the internet through mobile phones, to be established jointly by the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and KDDI Corp., will be named "Jibun Bank," it was disclosed on April 11. Preparations are being made to open the new bank in July 2008 at earliest after obtaining the approval from the Financial Services Agency.

BBC to broadcast iPlayher on-demand service for Wii in tie-up with Nintendo (Apr 15)

   The British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) will broadcast its "BBC iPlayer" on-demand service for reception by the home game machine "Wii" in collaboration with Nintendo, UK. This was disclosed by the person in charge of the future media technology of the BBC group in a lecture delivered on April 9.