AsiaPulse News articles from June 2004

AsiaPulse News archives from June 2004

AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: - Police say enemies of a shady car dealer gunned down at his desk had up to 10 motives for killing him. - Prime Minister John Howard delivers king...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR OPENS SLIGHTLY HIGHER - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar opened broadly unchanged after a Memorial Day holiday in the United States, ahead of a Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) meeting today. At 0700 AEST the local currency was trading at...

COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2004 TO BEGIN TODAY.
June 1, 2004... TAIPEI, June 1 Asia Pulse - Computex Taipei 2004, the second-largest Computer-related products exhibition in the world, is scheduled to be held at four halls of the Taipei World Trade Center and the International Conference Center in Taipei...

TAIWAN TRADE MISSION SEEKS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN MOSCOW.
June 1, 2004... MOSCOW, June 1 Asia Pulse - A Taiwan trade mission to Eastern Europe arrived in Moscow Sunday to seek business opportunities and an opening up of markets for Taiwan products. The mission, organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs,...

TAIWAN'S TAINAN SCIENCE PARK HITS US$1.28 BLN IN MARCH-APRIL.
June 1, 2004... TAINAN, June 1 Asia Pulse - Business turnover of the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park (TSIP) in southern Taiwan hit a new high of NT$43.13 billion (US$1.28 billion) during the March-April period, the Southern Taiwan Science-based Industrial...

TAIWAN'S ECONOMY PROMISING: CEPD HEAD.
June 1, 2004... TAIPEI, June 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's economy is promising in light of its performance over the past five months, Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) Chairman Hu Cheng-sheng said Monday. After attending an interpellation...

TAIWAN GOVT BODY TO SPONSOR TRADE CONSULTING MEETING WITH INDIA.
June 1, 2004... KAOHSIUNG, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Export Processing Zone Administration (EPZA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs is scheduled to host a trade consulting conference June 10 as part of its efforts to help boost Taiwan's trade and economic...

TAIWAN GOVT TO FURTHER SPEED UP REFORMS: PRESIDENT.
June 1, 2004... TAIPEI, June 1 Asia Pulse - President Chen Shui-bian assured foreign investors Monday that his administration will implement reform programs in the coming four years at a faster pace than in previous years. Speaking at a tea party he...

TAIWAN ECONOMICS MIN HEADS FOR APEC MEETING IN CHILE.
June 1, 2004... TAIPEI, June 1 Asia Pulse - Economics Minister Ho Mei-yueh left Monday for a ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Pucon, Chile. The June 4-5 meeting of APEC ministers responsible for trade will...

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY WEAKER IN MAY: AIG.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - Manufacturing activity in Australia was weaker in May after a lack of traction in the performance of the sector, the Australian Industry Group said today. The PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of...

AUSTRALIAN RESERVE BANK TO MEET TODAY, NO RATE RISE EXPECTED.
June 1, 2004... CANBERRA, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Reserve Bank board meets today with analysts confident it will hold fire on an interest rate rise despite strength in the economy. The board last lifted rates in December, and since then auction clearance...

STOCKS - BSE CLOSES LOWER - MAY 31, 2004.
June 1, 2004... MUMBAI, May 31 Asia Pulse - Stocks recovered part of the losses after initial sharp setback and the sensex ended 76 points lower on Bombay Stock Exchange today on late shortcovering by operators and buying support from retailers. After a...

CONFIDENCE OF AUSTRALIA'S FARMERS HITS 2 YEAR LOW.
June 1, 2004... MELBOURNE, June 1 Asia Pulse - Continued drought and low commodity prices have left Australian farmers feeling more gloomy than they have been in the past two years, according to a survey by agribusiness bank Rabobank Australia. The...

AUSTRALIS AQUACULTURE GEARS UP TO SELL BARRAMUNDI TO US.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - Fish producer Australis Aquaculture Ltd is set to place fresh barramundi on the plates of US diners by exporting live fish in huge quantities to the A$55 billion (US$39 billion) American seafood market. Since...

INDIA'S MA FOI SET TO EMERGE AS LARGEST STAFFING PLAYER IN ASIA.
June 1, 2004... CHENNAI, June 1 Asia Pulse - Vedior NV, the world's third largest speciality staffing firm, has acquired a 76 per cent stake in the Chennai-based Ma Foi Management Consultants Ltd, which will help the latter in international staffing solutions,...

S KOREAN CONSUMER PRICES DIP 0.1 PCT IN MAY FROM APRIL.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer prices dipped 0.1 per cent in May compared to the previous month, a government report said Tuesday. The National Statistical Office said the drop was the first in six months, though...

OIL PRICES COULD RISE FURTHER, SAYS AUSTRALIAN PM.
June 1, 2004... CANBERRA, June 1 Asia Pulse - Prime Minister John Howard last night said he could not guarantee petrol prices would not rise higher. With oil prices climbing over the $US40 a barrel mark, petrol station prices have been stuck above the A$1...

KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN - 3-way labor talks revived KUKMIN DAILY - Roh propose reviving 3-way labor talks DONG-A ILBO - Public officials' financial...

ALLIANCE SEMICONDUCTOR TO INVEST US$50 MLN IN INDIA IN 5 YRS.
June 1, 2004... BANGALORE, June 1 Asia Pulse - American fabless chip maker Alliance Semiconductor said Monday it would invest US$50 million over the next five years in its design centres in Bangalore and Hyderabad and double its workforce of 150 in three...

INDIA'S VSNL LAUNCHES OPERATIONS IN SRI LANKA.
June 1, 2004... MUMBAI, June 1 Asia Pulse - Telecom company VSNL (BSE:VSNL) has launched its voice and data services as well as the 'Tata Indicom' brand in Sri Lanka through its subsidiary VSNL Lanka Ltd (VLL). VLL has begun carrying of incoming and...

FOREX - US DOLLAR SLIGHTLY CHEAPER AGAINST RUPEE - MAY 31, 2004.
June 1, 2004... MUMBAI, May 31 Asia Pulse - The US Dollar ended slightly cheaper against the Rupee at Rs 45.47 per dollar but the Pound Sterling turned mildly dearer at Rs 83.47 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market here...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... BANGKOK, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE BANGKOK POST: - Thailand recorded its first monthly current account deficit in two years, due to a trade deficit on rising energy costs and heavy profit repatriations...

GAIL INDIA TO INVEST MORE IN SHELL CNG EGYPT.
June 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, June 1 Asia Pulse - State-owned gas major GAIL (India) Ltd (BSE:GAIL) will invest US$203,000 more as equity in Shell Compressed Natural Gas Egypt (SCNGE) to fund capital expenditure in setting up more CNG stations in the African...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES OPEN LOWER - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian stock market drifted off fractionally at the open today without a lead from the holidaying United States market. At 1015 AEST the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was 1.6 points lower at 3458.8 and the...

6 N. KOREAN ESCAPEES REPORTEDLY ENTER GERMAN SCHOOL IN BEIJING.
June 1, 2004... BEIJING, June 1 Asia Pulse - Six people claiming to be North Korean defectors made their way into a German government-run school in Beijing today and confronted Chinese police, one of the six people said. They entered the school by scaling...

AUDI TO ENTER INDIAN LUXURY CAR MARKET.
June 1, 2004... MUMBAI, June 1 Asia Pulse - German carmaker Audi said it would enter the Indian luxury car market through dealer network and had plans to sell about 1000 vehicles in the next five years. The company had concluded two dealership agreements...

UK-BASED HOWDEN INSURANCE BROKERS FORAYS INTO INDIA.
June 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, June 1 Asia Pulse - Howden Insurance Brokers, which is accredited to world's leading insurer Llyods, started its Indian operations Monday after getting an Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) licence. Howden,...

VIJAYA BANK PLANS TO FORAY IN UK, UAE, HONG KONG AND CHINA.
June 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, June 1 Asia Pulse - State-owned Vijaya Bank (BSE:VJBK) is planning to open a full-fledged branch in Hong Kong and representative offices in the UK, the UAE, China and three other Asian countries. "In order to make a foray into...

AUSTRALIA'S WOODSIDE WINS APPROVAL FOR FIRST OFFSHORE PROJECT.
June 1, 2004... PERTH, June 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's second-largest oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX:WPL) will be pumping oil in West Africa by March 2006 after yesterday giving development approval for its majority-owned Chinguetti project....

NETHERLAND'S STAR DIAMOND GROUP GETS NOD TO SET UP JV IN INDIA.
June 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) is believed to have cleared a proposal by Netherlands-based Star Diamond group to set up a joint venture in India to undertake diamond business. Initially, Star...

IRAN, UKRAINE INK MOU ON AUTO MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.
June 1, 2004... TEHRAN, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Islamic Republic of Iran and Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on auto manufacturing during the fourth meeting of their Joint Economic Commission held in Kiev on May 26-27, it was announced on...

INDIA'S RELIANCE ENERGY PLANS TO BUY BACK SHARES.
June 1, 2004... MUMBAI, June 1 Asia Pulse - Reliance Energy Ltd (BSE:RLEN) is planning to buyback part of its equity shares from the market. The board would consider a proposal to buyback shares at its meeting scheduled on June 9, REL said in a release...

S KOREAN LABOR, MANAGEMENT, GOV'T AGREE TO REOPEN DIALOGUE.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - The commission of labor, management and government on Monday agreed to create a conference of leaders of the respective organizations in order to normalize its operation, which has been crippled since one of the...

AUSTRALIA'S MILLER'S RETAIL REVISES DOWN EARNINGS EXPECTATIONS.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - Miller's Retail Ltd (ASX:MRL) advised today that it has revised downwards its expectations of earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) for the year ending 30 June 2004. EBITA on trading performance...

INDIA MAY EXTEND LPG, KEROSENE SUBSIDIES BY TWO YEARS.
June 1, 2004... NEW DELHI, June 1 Asia Pulse - The government is likely to extend by two more years subsidies on LPG and kerosene while asking the state-run oil firms to bear part of the Rs 140 billion (US$3.07 billion) under-recoveries due to unchanged prices...

AUSTRALIA'S RAMELIUS IDENTIFIES GOLD AT BLACK CAT PIT.
June 1, 2004... MELBOURNE, June 1 Asia Pulse - South Australian company Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX:RMS) has identified extended gold mineralisation near its Black Cat open pit operation at Coolgardie in Western Australia. Previous drilling by Ramelius at...

AUSTRALIA'S DRAGON EXPECTS 1ST GOLD POUR AT SWEDISH MINE IN Q4.
June 1, 2004... MELBOURNE, June 1 Asia Pulse - Perth-based miner Dragon Mining NL (ASX:DRA) yesterday said it expected to pour the first gold at its Swedish Svartliden Project in the September 2004 quarter. Dragon said construction had passed the half-way...

BIDDING WAR FOR AUSTRALIA'S NOVUS SET TO CONTINUE.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - The bidding war for Novus Petroleum Ltd (ASX:NVS) looks set to reignite this week with Sunov Petroleum foreshadowing an update on its commitment to taking over the Australian oil and gas company. In a fourth...

AUSTRALIA'S SEVEN NETWORK SEES RATINGS SLUMP.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - Media buyers and marketers are doubtful about the ability of Kerry Stokes' Seven Network Ltd (ASX:SEV) to lift its performance after figures revealed it had slumped in the 2004 ratings, The Australian Financial...

ING OFFICE FUND BUYS SYDNEY OFFICE BLOCK FOR US$66 MLN.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - ING Office Fund has bought the 24-story AGL building in North Sydney for A$92.5 million (US$66 million), according to the Australian Financial Review. The off-market transaction happened just before the NSW...

WORLD'S BIGGEST LIQUID CRYSTAL MAKER TO BOOST SUPPLIES TO ASIA.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - Merck KGaA, the world's biggest liquid crystal manufacturer, plans to invest 30 million euros (US$36.61 million) in Asia to meet the burgeoning liquid crystal demand in the region, industry sources said today. In...

S. KOREAN STEELMAKERS IMPLEMENT 1ST PRICE CUT THIS YEAR.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean steelmakers will implement their first price cut this year, following a string of recent price hikes in line with rising global prices for raw materials. POSCO said today it is to lower the domestic...

S. KOREAN CONSUMER PRICES UP 3.3% Y-O-Y IN MAY.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer prices dipped 0.1 per cent in May compared to the previous month, while moving up 3.3 per cent on the year, a government report said today. The National Statistical Office (NSO) said the...

S. KOREAN SMES INCREASE OVERSEAS INVESTMENT BY 56%.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - Small and medium companies in South Korea increased overseas investment by 55.9 per cent from the previous year to US$608 million as of the end of April this year, the state-run Export Import Bank said today. The...

IMAGES OF ANNA KOURNIKOVA AT TRANSAT 2004 YACHT RACE.
June 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) PLYMOUTH, England, May 31 /Photopress-AsiaNet/ -- Caption for Image 1 Tennis star Anna Kournikova takes a sailing lesson from solo yachts woman Ellen MacArthur at the single handed...

THE THINNER THE BETTER FOR GLASS USED IN ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS.
June 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) MAINZ, May 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Touch panels, image sensor packaging, IR-cut filters -- extremely thin flat glass is particularly suitable for many demanding electronic applications,...

PHOENIX & OSA TECHNOLOGIES DELIVER IPMI COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS.
June 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) MILPITAS, Calif. and Taiwan, May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall-AsiaNet/ -- Phoenix Technologies Ltd (Nasdaq: PTEC) and OSA Technologies, a subsidiary of Avocent Corporation, will deliver...

OPPERBAS HOLDING IN BREAKTHROUGH CLINICAL STUDY.
June 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) BRUSSELS & STOCKHOLM, June 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Opperbas Holding B.V. is conducting a phase II clinical trial using its proprietary PEGylated liposomes to prolong the half-life and...

NEWBRIDGE SET TO TAKE US$145 MLN STAKE IN CHINA'S SHENZHEN BANK.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - Newbridge Capital Ltd. is set to become the first foreign investor to win control of a Chinese lender, after agreeing to buy a 1.2 billion yuan (US$145 million) stake in Shenzhen Development Bank Co., the smallest of...

S. KOREA LAUNCHES 'BIO ORGAN' TASK FORCE.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea set up a task force Tuesday to promote the development of replacement organ production, one of the country's 10 next-generation growth engines, the agriculture ministry said. The government will...

FOREIGN TECH GIANTS' S. KOREAN UNITS SEE EARNINGS TUMBLE IN 2003.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean affiliates of foreign high-tech giants saw their earnings slump more than 40 per cent last year due to weak private consumption and corporate spending here, a Seoul-based technology research house said in...

MINITAB RELEASES KOREAN VERSION OF STATISTICAL WINDOWS SOFTWARE.
June 1, 2004... (Full text of a statement, contact details below) STATE COLLEGE, Pa., June 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Minitab Inc. today announced it will begin shipping MINITAB Korean Release 14 for Windows, a fully translated, Korean language version of...

STOCKS - TOKYO SHARES OPEN HIGHER - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Japanese share prices rose 0.38 per cent this morning on increased dealer interest, although concerns about crude oil prices continued to undermine market sentiment. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei-225...

S. KOREAN FIRMS TAPPING INTO RUSSIA'S CONSTRUCTION MARKET.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - Many South Korean construction firms are making inroads into Russia, whose booming economy in recent years has put it in need of more infrastructure, local industry sources said Tuesday. Russia, which has the...

KOREAN GOV'T TO REVIEW EXTRA BUDGET.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - The government will review a supplementary budget option that is to focus on stabilizing the livelihood of ordinary people and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), sources at the Ministry of Finance and Economy said...

S. KOREA, U.S. KICK OFF TRADE TALKS.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea and the United States opened two days of quarterly consultative talks on pending bilateral trade issues in Washington, D.C., the foreign ministry said Tuesday. At the talks, the second such meeting...

STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN SHARES LOWER AT NOON - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market sagged marginally at noon today, subdued by lack of leads from New York and London. "We're obviously down across the board with the market lacking a lead from overseas," Kylie Harding...

PRELIMINARY CONTRACT SIGNED FOR SALE OF KOREA'S HANBO IRON.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - A preliminary contract was signed Tuesday to sell Hanbo Iron & Steel Co., a troubled steelmaker which contributed partly to South Korea's 1997-98 foreign exchange crisis. Lead manager Samil PriceWaterhouseCoopers...

FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR SLIGHTLY LOWER AT NOON - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... SYDNEY, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar waned slightly this morning to be weaker at noon, with the local market largely shrugging off key local economic data. At 1200 AEST the local currency was trading at $US0.7136/41, compared...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... MANILA, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE MANILA TIMES: - The Department of Agriculture has rejected the plea of local meat processors to lift Administrative Order No. 39 or the veterinary quarantine clearance...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES - IN A precedent-setting move, People's Action Party (PAP) Members of Parliament have given their unanimous support of the ministers' choice of Deputy...

STOCKS - SINGAPORE SHARES LOWER IN EARLY TRADE - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Singapore share market was lower in early trade, with the Straits Times Index down 0.30 points to 1788.36. The market fell due to profit taking in selected bluechips including Fraser & Neave, Keppel...

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET - The number of workers on regular payrolls in Japan rose 0.4 percent in April from a year earlier to 42.86 million for the first increase in six years against the...

STOCKS - MALAYSIAN SHARES HIGHER IN EARLY TRADE - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian share market was higher in early trade, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index up 2.33 points to 813 at 10.42 a.m. The market rose due to bargain hunting in selected bluechips...

INDONESIAN GOVT TO RAISE TAX REVENUE TARGET IN 2005.
June 1, 2004... JAKARTA, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government's tax revenue target in the 2005 state budget will be increased to Rp27.6 trillion from Rp20.9 trillion in the previous year's budget, Director General of Taxes Hadi Purnomo said. The...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STAR - YTL Power International Bhd agreed yesterday to acquire a 35 per cent stake and loan stocks in the second largest independent power producer (IPP) in...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... JAKARTA, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspaper: KOMPAS - Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the three retired army generals' stepping forward to become presidential and vice presidential candidates is part of...

ROH AIDE TO ATTEND INT'L LABOR ASSEMBLY TO PROMOTE KOREA'S IMAGE.
June 1, 2004... SEOUL, June 1 Asia Pulse - A senior aide to President Roh Moo-hyun will fly to Geneva Monday to attend an annual assembly of the International Labor Organization (ILO), a Cheong Wa Dae official said Tuesday. Kwon Jae-chul, presidential...

JAPAN TO TIGHTEN IMMIGRATION CONTROLS TO KEEP TERRORISTS OUT.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Foreign and Justice ministries, the National Police Agency, and the Public Security Investigation Agency will step up their efforts to tighten immigration controls following the al-Qaida-linked attack targeting...

SEIKO EPSON LAUNCHES DIRECT SALES OF REAR-PROJECTION TVS.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Seiko Epson Corp. (TSE:6724) announced Monday that it has begun direct sales of its Livingstation rear-projection televisions in Japan. The company started taking online orders for 57- and 47-inch models that...

NAGANO FIRM DEVELOPS DEVICE TO MEASURE SHIPPING SHOCKS.
June 1, 2004... NAGANO, June 1 Asia Pulse - MicroStone, a developer of precision sensor parts, has devised and begun selling equipment to measure and record in three dimensions the shocks and vibrations that precision equipment sustains in shipping. The...

TOSHIBA REVISES CMOS SENSOR EXPANSION PLANS UPWARD.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Toshiba Corp. (TSE:6502) is expanding plans to increase production of CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensors used in such products as camera-equipped mobile phones. The company had planned to...

JAPAN'S BROADBAND SERVICE USERS TOP 15 MLN AT APRIL-END.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - The Telecommunications Ministry announced Monday that the number of broadband Internet service subscribers in Japan passed the 15 million mark as of the end of April. The figure reached 15.37 million, up around 50...

TOKIO MARINE TO SET UP WHOLLY OWNED UNIT IN CHINA.
June 1, 2004... SHANGHAI, June 1 Asia Pulse - Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. as early as July will be able to turn its Shanghai branch into a wholly owned nonlife insurance company, President Kunio Ishihara said Monday at a news conference here. The...

NISHIKAWA SANGYO MOVING INTO CHINA WITH HIGH-END BEDDING.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Nishikawa Sangyo Co. is beginning to sell high-quality bedding, including futons, in China. The company recently opened a specialty shop in Qingdao, signing a sales agent agreement with a local manufacturer and...

JAPAN'S DENSO PLANS TO SLASH TRANSPORT COSTS IN SE ASIA OPS.
June 1, 2004... SINGAPORE, June 1 Asia Pulse - Denso Corp. (TSE:6902) plans to improve its distribution efficiency within member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in a bid to cut costs and accelerate delivery. The company,...

FUJI HEAVY TO INCREASE U.S. SUBARU DEALERSHIPS.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (TSE:7270) will strengthen its U.S . sales network, raising by 2006 the number of dealerships specializing in Subaru vehicles to 450 sites, up 25 per cent from the 360 at the end of 2003....

JAPAN'S J-POWER, CHUBU ELEC SCALE BACK GIFU HYDROELECTRIC PLANS.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Electric Power Development Co., or J-Power, and Chubu Electric Power Co. (TSE:9502) on Monday announced the scaling back of plans to construct hydroelectric power plants in Gifu Prefecture, with power output dropped...

INTN'L CHEMICAL GIANT INCREASES PRESENCE IN CHINA.
June 1, 2004... SHANGHAI, June 1 Asia Pulse - International petrochemical giant Dow Chemical has recently located its regional headquarters in Shanghai in order to enhance its presence in China's interior regions as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. In an...

HITACHI OFFERS SECURITY SYSTEM FOR E-TRADING SITES.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Hitachi Ltd. (TSE:6501) announced Monday that it has begun marketing a system that prevents information from being divulged or falsified on e-trading sites. The system combines AppShield, the security software...

CHINESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... BEIJING, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: PEOPLE'S DAILY: - Chinese President Hu Jintao joined hundreds of children here Monday to celebrate the International Children's Day, which falls on June 1, chatting and...

SIEMENS-ASAHI MEDICAL SELLS MRI SYSTEMS THAT WORK 70% FASTER.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Siemens-Asahi Medical Technologies Ltd. is taking steps to bolster its business in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) systems. The firm has developed a new image-processing technology that reduces the test time by...

JASDAQ CHAIRMAN TO ALSO TAKE ON PRESIDENCY.
June 1, 2004... TOKYO, June 1 Asia Pulse - Jasdaq Market Inc. Chairman Kiyoshi Nagano will double as president starting June 23, succeeding Nobuo Kurakazu, who will resign over improper stock trading, company officials said Monday. Nagano, a former...

INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JUNE 1, 2004.
June 1, 2004... JAKARTA, June 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: KOMPAS: - Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the three retired army generals stepping forward to become presidential and vice presidential candidates is part of...