Japan Computer Industry Scan articles from April 2002

Japan Computer Industry Scan archives from April 2002

Kyodo to launch online English photo database April 1.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... TOKYO, March 25 Kyodo Kyodo News will launch April 1 an English-language photo data service that will allow customers to search and download photos via the Internet. The photo database, Treasure, contains about 400,000 photos with...

Net retailer Rakuten to soon be accessible via cell phones.
April 1, 2002... TOKYO, March 25 Kyodo Japan's largest online retailer, Rakuten Ichiba, will soon make all of the more than 3 million products it sells accessible to consumers via mobile phones, the head of its operating company said Monday. ''When...

Fujitsu to post 100 bil. yen profit in FY 2002: daily.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... TOKYO, March 26 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATING WITH FUJITSU COMMENTS) Fujitsu Ltd. is likely to post a consolidated operating profit of about 100 billion yen for fiscal 2002 ending March 2003, compared with the 75 billion yen loss projected...

Insider trading complaint filed over Disney software deal.
April 1, 2002... TOKYO, March 26 Kyodo The government's securities market watchdog said Tuesday it filed a criminal complaint against the president of a small Tokyo advertising agency for allegedly using inside information to trade shares in a Japanese...

NEC to apply linking BIGLOBE with NTT DoCoMo's i-mode network.
April 1, 2002... TOKYO, March 27 Kyodo NEC Corp., provider of the BIGLOBE Internet connection service, will soon file a request with NTT DoCoMo Inc. to link the service to the mobile phone giant's popular ''i-mode'' network, NEC officials said Wednesday....

FTC draws up guidelines for Internet ads.
April 1, 2002... TOKYO, March 28 Kyodo The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Thursday it has drafted guidelines requiring operators of commercial Web sites to make business conditions clear to protect consumers. The fair trade watchdog said it plans...

Oki Electric, NEC to cut wages.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... TOKYO, March 29 Kyodo Oki Electric Industry Co. on Friday agreed with its labor union on a 6% cut in wages for rank-and-file employees for one year from April 1, company officials said. The cut, coupled with a regularly scheduled...

Kyodo launches online English photo database.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2002... TOKYO, April 1 Kyodo Kyodo News on Monday launched an English-language photo data service that will allow customers to search and download photos via the Internet. The photo database, Treasure, contains about 400,000 photos with...

TTNet to sell its PHS operation to Yozan.
April 8, 2002... TOKYO, April 1 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING DETAILS) Tokyo Telecommunication Network Co. (TTNet) has reached a basic agreement with Yozan Inc. to sell its personal handy-phone system (PHS) business by the end of June, the two companies said...

Most of Mizuho Bank's ATMs malfunction across Japan.
April 8, 2002... TOKYO, April 1 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING MORE INFO) Mizuho Bank, a new bank launched Monday under the wing of Mizuho Holdings Inc., said most of its 7,000 automated teller machines (ATMs) malfunctioned across Japan on Monday, preventing...

2 firms lower fees on Internet auction sites.
April 8, 2002... TOKYO, April 1 Kyodo Two Internet auction site operators said Monday they will lower the fees for users selling items to stay competitive with Yahoo Japan Corp., which operates Japan's top Internet auction site. DeNA Co., which runs...

Sony, NEC, IBM Japan to raise PC prices.
April 8, 2002... TOKYO, April 3 Kyodo Sony Corp., NEC Corp. and IBM Japan Ltd. are set to raise the prices of their personal computers (PCs) by a margin of 11,000 yen to 20,000 yen per unit in a bid to defray recent rises in part prices, according to...

Display terminal norms should cover mobile devices.
April 8, 2002... TOKYO, April 5 Kyodo A health ministry panel looking into revisions to guidelines on protecting the health of workers using computer screens and other video display terminals on a daily basis has compiled a report stating the guidelines...

METI launches online database to foster new businesses.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 8 Kyodo The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) launched a Web site Monday featuring a database of potential industrial technologies with the aim of increasing their use by new businesses and foster economic...

Mitsui sets up brokerage subsidiary.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 8 Kyodo Mitsui & Co. set up a brokerage subsidiary last Thursday to service institutional investors wishing to invest in alternative financial instruments in addition to such direct investment tools as stocks and bonds, the...

IBM, Microsoft, Matsushita, 3 others form IT solution center.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... OSAKA, April 9 Kyodo IBM Japan Ltd. said it opened an ''IT Solution Center'' in Osaka on Tuesday by teaming up with five other high-tech firms including Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Oracle Corp. Japan and Microsoft Co., the...

TTNet's e-mail service stalls again for 8 hours.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 10 Kyodo The e-mail function of Tokyo Telecommunication Network Co. (TTNet) was disrupted for roughly eight hours late Tuesday and Wednesday morning, TTNet officials said. The Web system malfunction affected some...

NEC eyes forming 'mega-consortium' in broadband area.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 10 Kyodo NEC Corp. said Wednesday it aims to establish a ''mega-consortium'' in the area of broadband communications services with other major operators as part of its strategy for fiscal 2002, which began this month. ...

Fujitsu, Sony discontinue talks on Nifty deal.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 10 Kyodo Fujitsu Ltd. and Sony Corp. have discontinued talks on Sony's possible acquisition of Nifty Corp., Japan's top Internet service provider wholly owned by Fujitsu, sources close to the negotiations said Wednesday. ...

Heisei Den Den to begin ADSL service for 1,200 yen per month.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 10 Kyodo Telecommunications operator Heisei Den Den Co. said Wednesday it will launch high-speed ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) Internet access services at a fixed monthly rate of 1,200 yen in August. Although...

Yokohama develops multilingual World Cup emergency software.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... YOKOHAMA, April 10 Kyodo Yokohama emergency services authorities said Wednesday they have developed software to deal with emergencies in nine languages ahead of the final match of the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament in the city. ...

Nintendo expects to post 2nd straight year of record profits.
April 15, 2002... OSAKA, April 11 Kyodo Game machine maker Nintendo Co. said Thursday it expects to post a record group net profit of 110 billion yen for fiscal 2001 ended March 31, marking its second straight year of record profits. The yen's...

Law enacted to regulate unsolicited e-mail ads.
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 11 Kyodo A new law came into force Thursday to regulate unsolicited e-mail advertisements or ''spam.'' The law was enacted after the House of Representatives passed a related bill proposed by the three ruling coalition...

Fujitsu, NCR to form alliance in ATM technology development.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 11 Kyodo Fujitsu Ltd. and NCR Corp. of the United States have agreed to form a strategic alliance to develop and promote technologies for automated teller machines (ATMs), the two computer makers said Thursday. Under the...

Softbank Investment acquires S. Korea's Interstar Technology.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 11 Kyodo Softbank Investment Corp. said Thursday it has acquired a controlling stake in Interstar Technology Ltd., a South Korean manufacturer of semiconductor testers. The venture capital company belonging to the...

Ex-Microsoft exec indicted on tax evasion.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... NAGANO, April 12 Kyodo Prosecutors on Friday indicted a former managing director of Microsoft Co., the Japanese subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. of the United States, on tax evasion charges. The Nagano District Public Prosecutors Office...

EMC files complaint with ITC on Hitachi data storage systems.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... WASHINGTON, April 11 Kyodo EMC Corp., the world's largest maker of data storage systems, Thursday filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), alleging products made by Japan's Hitachi Ltd. infringe its patents....

Digital certificate market to grow to 42 bil. yen in FY 2006.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 12 Kyodo The size of the market for digital certificate services is expected to grow to 41.95 billion yen in fiscal 2006 from 6.34 billion yen in fiscal 2001, which ended March 31, according to a government survey released...

Amendment enacted to regulate unsolicited e-mail ads.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 12 Kyodo The House of Councillors on Friday enacted an amendment to the special business transactions law to regulate unsolicited e-mail advertisements or ''spam.'' The new legislation is expected to take effect this...

Softbank disbands online auto goods subsidiary.(Brief Article)
April 15, 2002... TOKYO, April 12 Kyodo Softbank Corp. said Friday it has disbanded its subsidiary selling automobile goods over the Internet due to sluggish sales. The operations of e-Shopping! Cargoods Corp. were halted at the end of March, the...

U.S. scientist joins judges for Japan software project.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2002... TOKYO, April 15 Kyodo (EDS: MORE INFO FROM INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY PROMOTION AGENCY AT: 03-5978-7507, OR EMAIL: mitou-kobo@ipa.go.jp) U.S. personal computer (PC) pioneer Alan Kay has joined a panel of judges for a Japanese...

FOCUS: Young IT entrepreneur succeeds in rebuilding his firm.
April 22, 2002... NAGOYA, April 15 Kyodo (EDS: THIS IS THE FIRST OF FIVE NEWS FOCUS STORIES ON EMPLOYMENT) In March 1999, Kentaro Iemoto, the president of an information technology (IT) company, found he was unable to pay his employees, with less than...

Net portal Excite links with Nifty, BIGLOBE.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2002... TOKYO, April 15 Kyodo Internet portal site operator Excite Japan Inc. said Monday it has linked its e-mail community service ''Excite Friends'' to two major portals, Nifty and BIGLOBE, effective the same day. Excite Japan has tied...

Softbank's U.S. unit sells part of stake in Yahoo.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2002... TOKYO, April 16 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING MORE INFO) Japanese Internet investor Softbank Corp. said Tuesday its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary Softbank America Inc. has sold part of its stake in U.S. Internet portal Yahoo Inc. in a bid to...

Softbank Investment earnings plunge in fiscal 1st half.(fiscal first half ended Mar 31, 2002)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2002... TOKYO, April 17 Kyodo Softbank Investment Corp. said Wednesday its group earnings plunged in the fiscal first half through March 31 as revenues fell during the extended economic slump and stagnating stock market conditions. The...

NEC Infrontia, Microsoft to combine voice, data communication.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2002... TOKYO, April 17 Kyodo Telephone maker NEC Infrontia Corp. and Microsoft Co., the Japanese unit of U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp., said Wednesday they have agreed to jointly develop a next-generation communication system for...

'Silicon Sea Belt Fukuoka' in the making.(at Kyushu University)
April 22, 2002... FUKUOKA, April 11 Kyodo Kyushu University in the southwestern city of Fukuoka is building an international hub for the information technology (IT) industry jointly with other Asian countries and business enterprises. ''We call the...

Hitachi sues EMC over data storage systems.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2002... NEW YORK, April 17 Kyodo Hitachi Ltd. of Japan said Wednesday it has filed a patent infringement suit against EMC Corp., the world's largest maker of data storage systems. In a complaint filed with a federal district court in...

Japanese supercomputer logs world's fastest speed.(Japan Marine Science and Technology Center)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2002... TOKYO, April 18 Kyodo The Japan Marine Science & Technology Center said Thursday its parallel supercomputer ''Earth Simulator'' at its research institute in Yokohama has logged the world's fastest computing speed of 35.61 teraflops. ...

NEC to set up LCD joint venture in Shanghai.(Brief Article)
April 22, 2002... SHANGHAI, April 18 Kyodo NEC Corp. said Thursday it has signed an agreement with Shanghai General Electronics (Group) Co. (SVA) to set up a joint venture to produce color liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in Shanghai by the end of this...

Softbank Web phone service to feature 7.5 yen calls to U.S.
April 22, 2002... TOKYO, April 19 Kyodo The Softbank group said Friday it will launch April 25 an Internet-based telephone service featuring 7.5 yen three-minute calls to the United States. BB Phone will enable subscribers to talk to domestic...

Fujitsu to sell major stake in Kyushu Fujitsu to Amkor.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 23 Kyodo Fujitsu Ltd. said Tuesday it will sell a 67% stake in its wholly owned subsidiary Kyushu Fujitsu Electronics Ltd. to Amkor Technology Inc. of the United States as part of restructuring to streamline operations. ...

Sharp to build next-generation LCD plant in Mie Pref.
April 29, 2002... OSAKA, April 24 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATING WITH FRESH INFO, CHANGING DATELINE) Sharp Corp. will build a new plant in Mie Prefecture this summer to produce small, next-generation liquid crystal displays (LCDs), company officials said...

Softbank to launch wireless high-speed Internet access service.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 24 Kyodo The Softbank Corp. group said Wednesday it will launch a new wireless high-speed Internet access service for a monthly fee of 2,280 yen after a trial service beginning later this month. The new service, Yahoo BB...

Softbank to offer free broadband services to schools.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 24 Kyodo The Softbank group will provide high-speed Internet access services and equipment to schools, libraries and other public facilities across Japan for free over six years, Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son said...

Nifty not to join planned Net provider alliance.
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 24 Kyodo Internet access provider Nifty Corp. will not join a planned large Internet service alliance by four companies such as NEC Corp. and KDDI Corp., Nifty President Taketsune Watanabe said Wednesday. ''We are not...

NHK to launch free news service for cell phone users in May.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 24 Kyodo (EDS: WEB SITE ADDRESS FOR FREE NEWS DISTRIBUTION SERVICE FOR MOBILE PHONES IS: http://www.nhk.or.jp/k/) Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) said Wednesday it will begin distributing news to mobile phone users on May...

Toshiba's group net balance sinks into red on poor IT sales.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 25 Kyodo Toshiba Corp. said Thursday its group net balance sank into the red in fiscal 2001 due chiefly to poor sales and price cuts in information technology products such as computer memory chips. In the year through...

Fujitsu incurs group net loss of 382 bil. yen in FY 2001.
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 25 Kyodo Fujitsu Ltd. said Thursday it incurred a group net loss of 382.54 billion yen for the year ended March 31 on heavy restructuring costs, such as those to withdraw from unprofitable businesses. The figure...

NEC posts 1st group net loss in 3 yrs in yr to March.
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 25 Kyodo NEC Corp. said Thursday it suffered a group net loss of 312.02 billion yen for the year ended March 31, the first group net loss in three years and the result of its loss-making electronic device operations and...

Shipments of Sony PlayStation 2 double in FY 2001.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 25 Kyodo Sony Corp. said Thursday that shipments of its popular home game console PlayStation 2 doubled in fiscal 2001 ended March 31 from the year before to 18.07 million units. Total shipments of the console since March...

Supreme Court OKs secondhand game software sales.
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 25 Kyodo The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that sales of secondhand game software for home use do not violate copyright laws, in the first judgment in Japan on the sales of secondhand game software. In handing down the...

SIA to launch sky e-mail service.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... SINGAPORE, April 24 Kyodo (EDS: MORE DETAILS THROUGHOUT) Singapore Airlines said Wednesday it will launch an onboard e-mail service in July enabling passengers to send short e-mail messages during flight by using the in-flight...

2 Matsushita units to merge in April.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 26 Kyodo Kyushu Matsushita Electric Co. and Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems Inc. will merge, possibly in April, as part of the Matsushita group's restructuring plan, company sources said Friday. The two...

Yahoo Japan reports record profit, revenues in FY 2001.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 26 Kyodo Yahoo Japan Corp. said Friday it posted a record unconsolidated net profit of 6.1 billion yen in fiscal 2001 to March 31, up about 100% over the previous year, on a 2.3-fold jump in operating revenues to 30.2...

Softbank to book group net loss of 89 bil. yen for FY 2001.
April 29, 2002... TOKYO, April 26 Kyodo Softbank Corp. said Friday it expects to post a consolidated net loss of 89 billion yen for fiscal 2001 to March 31, a reversal from a profit of 36.63 billion yen the previous year. The Internet investor will...