WIRE REPORTS

Sharp to Expand Annual Solar Cell Module Production Capacity in the UK to 500 MW MarketWatch (press release) Osaka, Jul 29, 2010 (JCN Newswire via COMTEX) -- Sharp Corporation will double its annual production capacity for crystalline solar cell modules to 500 MW ... and more » Tight rein on power industry Bangkok Post Apart from Egco, the project's co-investors are Sharp Corporation and CLP. All three hold an equal stake of 33.3% each. The project will start construction ... Sharp to Commence the Shipment of a New Quick Messaging Phone Supporting ... TTKN News Sharp Corporation will start the shipment of a new quick messaging phone FX to AT&T, one of the biggest wireless operators in the United States. ... Avnet Embedded: Sharp extends partnership with Avnet Embedded in the UK Trading Markets (press release) Sharp Microelectronics Europe, Hamburg, Germany, is a divisional company of Sharp Electronics (Europe) GmbH, which is a subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, ... and more » Clean Energy Technologies - New Market Report Published OfficialWire (press release) ... Nordex AG, Sharp Corporation, Siemens Energy, and Solar Systems Pty Ltd. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. ... and more » TFT LCD Panels - New Market Report Published OfficialWire (press release) ... Ltd., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Seiko Epson Corporation, Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Display Corp, Toshiba Corporation, ... and more » Solar Panels - New Market Report Published OfficialWire (press release) ... Ltd., Sanyo Solar, Sharp Corporation, Signet Solar, Inc., Sunpower Corporation, Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., ... and more » Nissan Motor Introduces "Health & Well-Being" Concept - Designed to Enhance ... Asahi Shimbun The product employs the Plasmacluster technology developed by Sharp Corporation. "Plasmacluster" and "Plasmacluster Ions" are trademarks of Sharp ... and more » Sharp to launch e-book device PRWeek On Tuesday, Japan's Sharp Corporation announced it would enter the e-book market, joining major competitors Apple and Amazon. The company plans to offer an ... and more » Sharp to develop e-readers Tech Digest Sharp Corporation, perhaps best known for their HD TVs and pioneering AQUOS quad-pixel LCD tech, ... and more »

DAILY REPORTS

Jul 27 First half saw car output shift into high gear The nation's automakers on Tuesday reported sharp increases in global production for the first half, and for June in particular with Toyota seeing a 16.2 percent surge, underlining a recovery in demand from a dismal plunge a year earlier. Toyota Motor Corp. said it produced 739,683 vehicles in June as sales grew in Japan and abroad and exports expanded to North America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. (Japan Times) Jul 26 Japan electronics giants face yen, Europe challenge Most of Japan's big electronics firms are likely to report a strong quarter on robust consumer demand, though the yen's gains and a slowdown in key European export markets may weigh on quarters ahead. Canon Inc (7751.T) is seen doubling quarterly profits on healthy sales of high-end cameras [ID:nTOE66J04U], while cost-cutting and firm demand for consumer products are expected to help Panasonic Corp (6752.T) and Sharp Corp (6753.T) reverse the losses they suffered in the April-June period last year. (Reuters) Jul 20 Sharp planning e-book reader Sharp Corp. said Tuesday it will enter the e-book market this year with a device that allows users to read e-book content it plans to distribute in cooperation with newspaper companies and other publishing firms. The multifunctional device will allow users to access video and audio content in addition to text and still images, Sharp said. Sony Corp. and NEC Corp. also plan to release e-book reader devices in the near future. (Japan Times) Jul 17 Sharp launch Blu-ray disc with 100GB It was known that the Blu-ray had a future expansion capabilities. Currently you can find Blu-ray market of 25 and 50 gigabytes, but has recently been confirmed BDXL standard, which extends those values to 100 and 128 GB respectively. In response to this new standard, the people of Sharp is already planning on releasing an album BDXL later this month, the Japanese market will be the first to receive the affection of these super discs. (livestreetjournal.net) Jun 30 Over 9 tril. yen profit raised by managing pension reserves in FY 2009 Profits from managing accumulated pension reserves are estimated to have totaled over 9 trillion yen in fiscal 2009, in what would be the first profitable asset management for a single fiscal year in three years, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. The estimated profit marks the highest since fiscal 2001 when the state began managing pension reserves by investing in financial markets in a full-fledged manner. The management result for fiscal 2009 that ended March 31 would be a sharp reversal from fiscal 2008 when the worst-ever 9.67 trillion yen of management loss was logged due to global financial market turbulence in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in September 2008. A moderate recovery in stock and other financial markets helped the state to recover the loss in fiscal 2009. (AP) Jun 28 Why Allies Need US Base A gray US Air Force tanker banks sharply toward the runway, its four turbofans screaming as it flares for landing. As its tires hit the runway they give off a bluish smoke through which the outline of a US Navy maritime patrol plane taxiing on the tarmac becomes visible. It's the patrol plane's turn now, and it accelerates, its propellers grinding the air, to take its place in a long line of aircraft waiting to take off from the Kadena Air Base, the largest part of what is arguably the most vital military complex in the Pacific for the United States and its closest regional allies. (The Diplomat) Jun 27 Where's the spirit of Japan's troublemaking coffee-house Hobbits? There was a time, in the 1960s and early '70s, when the people of Japan were not apathetic about what was being done on their soil. The opposition here to the U.S. invasion of Vietnam and Japan's support of it was large scale and vocal. Mass demonstrations were frequently held across the nation, participated in by people of all ages and from all walks of life. The Japanese government, hosting U.S. forces at bases from Okinawa in the south to Aomori Prefecture in the north, knew how critical their support was to the American war effort. In 1965, Adm. Grant Sharp, Commander of U.S. Pacific Forces, said: "Without Okinawa, we could not have continued the combat in Vietnam." (Japan Times) Jun 26 Japan as a haven speaks to state of other economies It tells you something about the state of some other industrialized countries when people are flocking to Japan to invest their money. In particular, Japanese government bonds have been flying off the shelves lately, as sovereign-default-fearful bond investors flood out of Europe and into safer havens. The result has been a sharp drop in Japanese bond yields - the 10-year Japanese government bond is yielding as low as it did in the depths of the financial crisis in late 2008. (theglobeandmail.com) Jun 23 Nikkei closes at 1-week low after weak U.S. data, stronger yen Tokyo stocks fell sharply Wednesday, with the Nikkei stock index losing nearly 2 percent to close at a one-week low, as investor confidence in the U.S. economy sagged and a stronger yen against the dollar and the euro hurt exporter shares. Falling below the psychologically important 10,000 threshold for the first time since Friday, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 189.19 points, or 1.87 percent, from Tuesday to 9,923.70, the lowest closing level since June 15. (AP) Jun 15 Tokyo stocks open lower after sharp gains, European debt woes weigh Tokyo stocks opened slightly lower Tuesday as investors took profits on sharp gains the previous day, with a downgrade of Greece's government bonds weighing on investor sentiment. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 33.89 points, or 0.34 percent, from Monday to 9,845.96. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 1.70 points, or 0.19 percent, to 876.86. The Second Section rose. (AP) Jun 14 Warm welcome awaiting Chinese tourists Tourism, electronics retail and other industries--even cancer screening facilities--are rolling out the welcome mat for tourists from China, visits from whom are expected to increase sharply when visa regulations are eased from next month. Although individual tourist visas were previously issued only to wealthy Chinese, the rules will be relaxed in July in a move expected to see the number of households eligible for visas explode ten fold to 16 million. China's emergence as a global economic power has given rise to a wave of tourists flush with cash--a potential gold mine for Japanese industries. (Yomiuri) Jun 14 The celestial journey of Shoko Tendo Upon introduction, author Shoko Tendo does not offer the image of a woman who has spent much of her life mixed up with drugs and yakuza gangsters. With straight brown hair and sharp facial features shaped by reconstructive plastic surgery, this 42-year-old daughter of a mobster reveals no visual hints as to her past, aside from the occasional glimpse of one of her elaborate tattoos peering from under the cuff of her long shirtsleeve. She is not shy about revealing that striking artwork covering her pencil-thin frame. A courtesan with a dagger gripped in her teeth fills her back as serpents crawl along her arms and legs. Kanji characters and carp fill in the spaces between and around. (Tokyo Reporter) Jun 12 1+1=3? Not in Japan's 'Galapagos' phone market Japan's mobile phones feature breathtakingly sophisticated technology, and the offerings from Toshiba Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd. are no exception. But simply combining their handset operations may not be enough to gain a global presence. Toshiba and Fujitsu, industrial electronics conglomerates whose products range from air conditioners to semiconductors, are in talks to merge their mobile phone businesses, according to a person familiar with the matter. The news was splashed on the front page of Japan's Nikkei business daily, with the joint entity expected to be the second biggest player in the country's saturated mobile phone market with a 19% share - trailing only Sharp Corp. But missing is the fact that the two comprise less than 1% of all the handsets sold worldwide - an indication that this deal would create another big fish in a small pond. (Wall Street Journal) Jun 11 Toshiba, Fujitsu in talks on mobile phone merger Toshiba Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd. are in talks toward integrating their mobile phone businesses to boost competitiveness amid sluggish handset sales, sources said Friday. The integration, if realized, would create the second-largest mobile phone maker in Japan, with a combined market share of nearly 20 percent, behind industry leader Sharp Corp. (Japan Times) Jun 11 Tokyo stocks rise as yen weakens, euro worries recede Tokyo stocks rose sharply Friday as a weaker yen against the euro boosted investor sentiment amid receding worries about debt woes in Europe. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average advanced 162.60 points, or 1.70 percent, from Thursday to 9,705.25. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 9.65 points, or 1.13 percent, to 866.44. (AP) Jun 10 Gov't to accept court decision on gender-based workers' compensation The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will accept last month's court decision that its criteria on disability and benefits for workers' injuries were sexually biased and unconstitutional, ministry officials said Thursday. The ministry will not file an appeal against the May 27 Kyoto District Court decision, the officials said. A sharp change in the country's conventional social wisdom has made it difficult to back up the reasonability of setting the levels of disability and subsequent workers' compensation benefits by gender, the officials said. (AP) Jun 10 Tokyo stocks rise on Chinese economic data, weaker yen Tokyo stocks rose Thursday after strong Chinese economic data improved investor sentiment amid market jitters about debt woes in Europe, with the euro's slight recovery against the yen also providing a catalyst for picking up shares that had fallen sharply. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average advanced 103.52 points, or 1.10 percent, from Wednesday to 9,542.65, coming off a six-month closing low the previous day. (AP) Jun 10 Kan Cabinet's support rate at 60% or higher: newspapers The public support rate for new Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Cabinet stood at 60 percent or higher, with his ruling Democratic Party of Japan gaining popularity ahead of the upcoming upper house election, opinion polls by major dailies showed Thursday. The Asahi Shimbun said the support rate for the Kan Cabinet stood at 60 percent, up sharply from 17 percent for the Cabinet of his predecessor Yukio Hatoyama, in a poll conducted in late May shortly before his resignation. The Kan Cabinet's disapproval rate came to 20 percent. (AP) Jun 7 Sharp claims multiscreen display has world's thinnest frame width Sharp Corp. unveiled Monday a new multiscreen display system that has what it says is the world's thinnest frame width, upping the stakes in the growing market for digital signs. The consumer electronics maker said it will start selling the system, which consists of nine 60-inch liquid crystal display monitors separated by frames only 6.5 mm wide, on Aug. 31 in Japan. Based on an in-house study, Sharp said the width is the world's narrowest in terms of LCD monitors that are 46 inches or larger. (Japan Times) Jun 5 Kan: Activist, politico, mah-jongg lover Newly elected Prime Minister Naoto Kan began his political career when he became involved in civic movements, and attracted attention for his sharp manner of speaking in the Diet. At one point, he was forced to step down as president of the Democratic Party of Japan over failing to pay into the national pension system for a period of time. After serving in more low-profile posts, Kan has risen again, this time to prime minister. He participated in student protests while a student at Tokyo Institute of Technology's School of Science and worked for civic movements after graduation. (Yomiuri) May 31 Sharp and Mitsubishi Electric debut 3-D TVs Sharp Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. on Monday took the wraps off 3-D liquid crystal display televisions that will hit the market this summer. Sharp said its 3-D TVs, which use proprietary four-color LCD panel technology, will go on sale July 30. Mitsubishi Electric hasn't set a release date yet, saying its laser-based TVs equipped with 3-D viewing technology will be sold sometime in the summer. (AP) May 31 Tokyo stocks edge up on weaker yen in thin end-of-month trading Tokyo stocks edged higher Monday as a weaker yen against the euro prompted investors to pick up stocks that had been sold heavily, although trading remained thin on the final day of a month that saw sharp falls amid worries about the eurozone. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 5.72 points, or 0.06 percent, from Friday to 9,768.70. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 1.94 points, or 0.22 percent, at 880.46. (AP) May 25 Casio cell phones in the frame Casio's latest cell phone, the CA005, just released by KDD's mobile phone service "au by KDDI," offers two products in one. A typical glossy clamshell mobile phone, the CA005 also packs a 13-megapixel camera into its sharply rectangular form. The phone's camera features smile detection and a fast "burst-shooting" (continuous shooting) rate, which is rare even for compact cameras. Being a cell-phone camera, there is no room for an optical zoom but the wide 28 mm lens does have a 3x digital zoom. (Japan Times) May 22 Is Japan becoming more insular? With so much talk of globalization, it might seem counterintuitive to suggest that Japan is turning inward, but that's what some have concluded. The Washington Post recently focused on one example: the dwindling number of Japanese students studying abroad. Roughly 80,000 Japanese students now study outside the country, far fewer than, say, South Korea with less than half Japan's population. The fall has been particularly sharp in the United States, where Japanese undergraduate enrollment in universities is down by over a half since 2000. (Mainichi) May 20 Nikkei briefly dips below 10,000 for 1st time in over 3 months Tokyo stocks fell sharply Thursday, with the Nikkei stock index briefly dipping below the 10,000 line for the first time in more than three months, as the euro's swings against the yen kept investors on edge. Falling for the second straight day, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 156.53 points, or 1.54 percent, from Wednesday to 10,030.31. The benchmark index fell to as low as 9,999.59 at one point, the lowest level since Feb. 10. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 12.49 points, or 1.37 percent, at 898.15. (AP) [ More... ]