WIRE REPORTS

Nuclear Bill Stalls in India, Delaying GE-Hitachi Venture Entry BusinessWeek Failure to pass the legislation would prevent suppliers including GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, controlled by Tokyo-based Hitachi Ltd. and Fairfield, ... Thin Clients - A Global Strategic Business Report - new market report released PR-inside.com (press release) ... Ltd., HCL Peripherals Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP, Hitachi, Ltd., IGEL Technology Ltd., Maple Computer Corporation, NEC Corporation, ... Reuters Dell sues 5 Asia tech firms, alleging LCD cartel Reuters TOKYO (Reuters) - Dell Inc, the world's third-largest PC maker, has filed a lawsuit against Sharp Corp, Hitachi Ltd, Toshiba Corp and two other companies ... and more » BRIEFING - ASIA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - MARCH 15, 2010 Trading Markets (press release) TOKYO - Hitachi Ltd. (TSE:6501) said Friday that it plans to recruit 850 new graduates in the spring of 2011, the same number as this coming spring. ... and more » HITACHI TO KEEP NEW-GRAD HIRING FLAT AT 850 FOR SPRING 2011 Trading Markets (press release) Hitachi Ltd. (TSE:6501) said Friday that it plans to recruit 850 new graduates in the spring of 2011, the same number as this coming spring. ... New Market Report Now Available: Hitachi, Ltd. - SWOT Analysis Live-PR.com (press release) (live-PR.com) - Datamonitor's Hitachi, Ltd. - SWOT Analysis company profile is the essential source for top-level company data and information. ... and more » Dell sues Sharp, Hitachi over price-fixing Korea Herald Dell Inc., the third-biggest personal-computer maker, sued Sharp Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and three other liquid-crystal display panel makers over allegations ... Panasonic's Groundbreaking Full HD 3D Home Entertainment System Now ... PR-USA.net (press release) Its Board of Directors consists of individuals affiliated with the following companies: Apple Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Hitachi, Ltd., ... and more » Electronics makers' management aware of need for regular wage hikes+ TMCnet Kenji Ono of Hitachi Ltd., who represented the management during the day's talks with the Japanese Electrical Electronic & Information Union, ... Dell Sues Sharp, Hitachi Over Flat Panel Price-Fixing Claims BusinessWeek March 13 (Bloomberg) -- Dell Inc., the third-biggest personal-computer maker, sued Sharp Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and three other liquid-crystal ... and more »

DAILY REPORTS

Mar 13 Electronics makers' management aware of need for regular wage hikes The management of six major electronics manufacturers showed an understanding on Saturday of unions' demand for the full implementation of regular wage hikes at this spring's annual labor- management wage negotiations. Kenji Ono of Hitachi Ltd., who represented the management during the day's talks with the Japanese Electrical Electronic & Information Union, told a news conference that as unionists' cooperation with management has been commendable, management intends to study the unions' demand. (AP) Mar 12 Nikkei hits 7-week closing high as yen helps, BOJ eyed Japan's Nikkei average hit its highest close in seven weeks on Friday, with exporters helped by speculation that the yen may weaken if the Bank of Japan takes additional steps to ease monetary policy next week. Hitachi (6501.T) rose nearly 2 percent after its incoming president said he had no plans to carry out additional capital raising, and that the electronics conglomerate must return to profit at any cost in the year starting in April. Sources have told Reuters that Japan's central bank is leaning toward easing monetary policy again at its two-day policy review that ends on Wednesday. (Reuters) Mar 10 Govt finalizes allocation of 100 bil. yen research fund The government's Council for Science and Technology Policy decided Tuesday on how a 100 billion yen research fund will be divided among 30 leading researchers under the supplementary budget for fiscal 2009. The fund is expected to produce cutting-edge research achievements and boost the country's competitiveness. The researchers who will receive grants of 5 billion yen are Kyoto University Prof. Shinya Yamanaka--who created the world's first induced pluripotent stem cells--and Akira Tonomura--a Hitachi Ltd. fellow and leading expert on electron microscope-based research. (Yomiuri) Mar 4 Britain postpones Hitachi train contract Britain has postponed signing a contract with Hitachi Ltd. for a train project worth more than 1 trillion yen ($11.21 billion) until after the general election expected in May. The signing had been scheduled for mid-March, but Britain's Department for Transport cited a deterioration in the environment for borrowing funds and a slowdown in growth of passenger numbers. In February 2009, Hitachi acquired preferential negotiating rights for the Intercity Express Program contract to supply about 1,400 train cars for main trunk lines in Britain between 2013 and 2018, plus up to 30 years of maintenance. (Asahi) Dec 8 Hitachi sale not enough to fund revamp, analysts say Hitachi Ltd., the unprofitable Japanese company with 927 business units, may need more funds to finance a revamp after selling a record 350.7 billion yen ($3.9 billion) in stock and bonds, analysts said. Hitachi aims to reverse a multi-decade strategy of expanding into everything from televisions to vacuum cleaners and nuclear reactors after reporting a record loss for a Japanese manufacturer last fiscal year. (Bloomberg) Nov 30 Charge of the lithium-ion battery / Hybrid car boom driving sales of rechargeable cells Smaller, lighter and with greater power-storage capacity than nickel hydride batteries--which have been a popular choice for hybrid vehicles--lithium-ion batteries are seen as key to improving the performance of eco-friendly vehicles, prompting increased efforts among manufacturers, including those that have newly entered the market, to develop this cutting-edge battery technology. On Nov. 10, Hitachi Ltd. showed the press around its new lithium-ion battery plant at its Tokai complex in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture. (Yomiuri) Nov 24 Japan's Hitachi to build rail car plant in Britain Japanese high-tech giant Hitachi Ltd. plans to build railway cars in Britain in a multi-billion-dollar deal that would also create hundreds of new jobs, a company spokesman said Tuesday. Hitachi, which makes products ranging from refrigerators to nuclear power systems, plans to replace part of Britain's high-speed train fleet by 2018, spokesman Takeshi Kawakami told. (AFP) Nov 17 Capital raising fears in Japan may be overblown Japanese stocks are suffering from concerns of upcoming share offerings that would dilute the value of existing shares, but at least one leading analyst sees these fears as overblown. While capital-raising via stock offerings had been more of a worry for investors in Japan's banks, recent announcements of share-sale plans by non-financial companies -- such as Hitachi Ltd. and Nippon Yusen K.K. -- have widened those fears across the broader market. (MarketWatch) Nov 16 As investors sweat, Japan firms pump out shares The likely $15.5 billion share issuance by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T) and Hitachi Ltd (6501.T) is the latest blow to Japan's long-suffering investors, but it won't be the last. Japanese companies have already raised $40 billion through issuing common stock and convertible bonds this year, tapping a modest share market rebound for much-needed cash after the financial crisis -- but at the same time heavily diluting the holdings of their current shareholders. (Reuters) Nov 15 Hitachi to raise up to $4.5 billion: sources Hitachi Ltd, Japan's biggest electronics firm by revenues, plans to raise up to 400 billion yen ($4.5 billion) by issuing new shares and convertible bonds to shore up its battered capital base, two sources familiar with the matter said. The sources, who asked not to be identified ahead of an official announcement anticipated as early as Monday, said Hitachi plans to sell about 300 billion yen worth of shares and another 100 billion yen in convertible bonds. (Reuters) Oct 27 Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi face U.S. antitrust probe Japanese electronics giants Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi said Tuesday that their optical disc drive operations are under investigation by U.S. authorities for possible antitrust violations. Sony (SNE) said its California-based sales unit Sony Optiarc America has received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice seeking information for an antitrust probe related to the company's optical disc drive operations. (USA Today) Sep 14 NEC, Casio, Hitachi to merge mobile phone ops Japan's NEC Corp, Casio Computer Co and Hitachi Ltd said they planned to merge their struggling cellphone operations to cut development and manufacturing costs. A union would create Japan's second-largest cellphone maker with sales of 505 billion yen ($5.6 billion) and could trigger more consolidation in a sector worn down from infighting in a crowded and dwindling market. (Reuters) Sep 3 Is Japan gunning for Intel? Japanese business magazine Nikkei Business News reports that a mighty pack of household-name technology firms have joined forces to create a groundbreaking new microprocessor standard. The all-star list of contributors includes Toshiba, Panasonic, Hitachi, and Canon -- a list of adversaries that would strike fear into the heart of anybody, including the mighty Intel. (Motley Fool) Aug 31 Wireless Watch: Mulling a three-point mobile merger in Japan For smaller companies trying to plant a stake in the ground of larger, more established companies, one strategy is simply to team up. That's what three small well-known players in mobile phones could soon announce in Japan, as NEC, Hitachi (HIT), and Casio Computer discuss combining their mobile-handset operations. (Daily Finance) Aug 28 Hitachi, NEC, Casio mulling integration of cell phone biz NEC Corp. and Casio Computer Co. are considering integrating their mobile phone businesses to improve profitability in the saturated domestic market, industry sources said Friday. If realized, the three would have a combined share of more than 20 percent in the Japanese market, drawing close to Sharp Corp., the biggest handset maker in terms of market share in fiscal 2008 at 23 percent. (Japan Times) Aug 17 Honda Profit Rebound Lures Investors as Japan Earnings Recover Japanese companies are returning to profit just three months after reporting record losses in the nation's deepest post-war recession, luring overseas investors at the fastest pace in two years. Companies from Honda Motor Co., the nation's No. 2 automaker, to Hitachi Chemical Co., the top maker of carbon anodes for lithium ion batteries, swung to profit following 8.6 trillion yen ($1.3 trillion) of losses in the previous quarter. (Bloomberg) Aug 3 Mitsubishi, Hitachi eye disc for cloud computing era Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. and some other organizations plan to jointly develop a next-generation optical disc that can store 25 times more data than a Blu-ray Disc, with the aim of putting the technology into practical use in 2012, industry sources said Monday. The next-generation one terabyte (1,000 gigabyte) disc will be designed to complement cloud computing, which allows for the storage of data and information offline on interconnected databases. It also would increase the efficiency of personal computers. (Yomiuri) Jul 30 Warnings from bellwethers of Japan industry Canon and Hitachi, two of Japan's largest electronics companies, yesterday reported weak results and warned that they expected economic recovery to be slow. Hitachi, the electrical conglomerate known as the "GE of Japan", reported a first-quarter net loss of ¥82.7bn ($876m) and said that "extremely low levels of consumption and production meant that the severe conditions continued". (FT.com) Jul 27 Hitachi firms to become subsidiaries Hitachi Ltd. is in the final stage of turning five listed group firms, including Hitachi Maxell Ltd., into wholly owned subsidiaries through tender offers scheduled for next month at the earliest, sources said Monday. The tender offers are expected to be worth as much as ¥300 billion. (Japan Times) Jul 22 New Hitachi biometric ID check tech reads blood flow pattern in users' fingers Hitachi Ltd. has announced that it has developed a new payment system based on finger vein authentication technology. Finger vein authentication systems identify individuals based on the unique blood flow patterns in their fingers. (Mainichi) Jul 20 Japan looks to iPhone to fix its phone design The Japanese are turning to Apple's iPhone as a source of ideas for how to rescue their ailing cellphone business, the head of a local think tank said today. Professor Takeshi Natsuno of Keio University told the New York Times that companies like Hitachi, NEC and Sharp have generally been unable to sell phones outside of Japan due to difficult, often highly customized interfaces and that the iPhone is a key example of how to solve the problem. (electronista.com) Jul 2 GM hybrids to use Hitachi lithium-ion batteries from '10 Electronics maker Hitachi Ltd. said Thursday it will supply lithium-ion batteries for hybrid vehicles to General Motors Corp. in 2010 and sharply raise production capacity to meet surging demand for gas-electric cars. (Japan Times) Jun 25 Japan store pilots new face recognition system A system that instantly searches images stored on a database and compares them with those taken by a security camera is being piloted at an electronics store in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. The system will be used to combat crime by recognizing individuals whose images have been captured previously, as well as by analyzing customer buying patterns. Until now, searching for a specific person required someone to look at every image filmed. However, the new system developed by Hitachi, Ltd., is capable of dramatically narrowing down likely matches from a list of about 10,000 faces in only a second once a specific face from the camera is selected. (securityinfowatch.com) Jun 15 Japanese Royals Visit Peru Japan's Prince Hitachi is visiting Peru to mark the 110th anniversary of the start of Japanese emigration to the South American nation. The 73-year-old prince, younger brother of Emperor Akihito, and his wife, Princess Hanako, placed a wreath Saturday at the centennial monument to Japanese emigrants in Lima. (Latin American Herald Tribune) Jun 9 Japanese electronics bigwigs team up for U.S. smart grid A dozen well-known Japanese electronic companies - Toshiba and Hitachi prime among them - have announced that they are teaming up to build a working smart grid in the U.S. by 2010. Construction will begin as soon as October as part of a New Mexico pilot program of 1,000 households. (venturebeat.com) [ More... ]