Japan-U.S. Business Report articles from April 1999

Japan-U.S. Business Report archives from April 1999

Japanese Companies in the United States: CHEMICALS.
April 29, 1999... World sales of impact-resistant Metton, a specialty liquid resin used for molding complex shapes, could reach 16,500 tons a year by 2003, a 150 percent jump, according to developer TEIJIN LTD. To that end, the big plastics manufacturer is...

Japanese Companies in the United States: COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERALS.
April 29, 1999... The first server vendor to announce an eight-processor system incorporating INTEL CORP.'s just released Pentium III Xeon chip was not one of the usual big U.S. computer manufacturers but the NEC Computer Systems Division of PACKARD BELL NEC,...

Japanese Companies in the United States: CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE.
April 29, 1999... Another of the "trophy" properties that corporate Japan acquired during the late 1980s has changed hands. Through a U.S. subsidiary, NIPPON LIFE INSURANCE CO. sold the Century Plaza Hotel and Tower for $260 million to a group of private...

Japanese Companies in the United States: ELECTRIC MACHINERY.
April 29, 1999... Strong U.S. demand for flat-screen computer and television displays has convinced SONY ELECTRONICS, INC. to convert two of the five cathode-ray tube production lines at its sprawling San Diego, California complex from conventional, curved...

Japanese Companies in the United States: FINANCIAL SERVICES.
April 29, 1999... Add SUMITOMO TRUST & BANKING CO., LTD. to the already long list of Japanese banks that are scaling back their American operations or even pulling out of the market as part of a much-needed restructuring strategy. Sumitomo Trust will...

Japanese Companies in the United States: FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
April 29, 1999... In its second expansion in a year (see Japan-U.S. Business Report No.343, April 1998, p.4), snack and cracker manufacturer SESMARK FOODS, INC. will add a fourth production line at its Loves Park, Illinois factory to expand production of its...

Japanese Companies in the United States: NONELECTRIC MACHINERY.
April 29, 1999... To better serve the North American automotive industry, big bearing manufacturer NTN CORP.opened a state-of-the-art technical center in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The facility currently is equipped with computer-controlled testing equipment...

Japanese Companies in the United States: PHOTO EQUIPMENT AND COPIERS.
April 29, 1999... This summer, the Mahwah, New Jersey marketing unit of SHARP CORP.will launch a digital video camera designed specifically for use on the Internet. The lightweight, palm-size VN-EZ1 Internet ViewCam, the first digital camcorder to employ MPEG-4...

Japanese Companies in the United States: PRECISION AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
April 29, 1999... Harnessing global positioning system technology to the needs of the surveying, industrial geographic information systems mapping and machine control markets is the goal of a development and marketing alliance between surveying instrument...

Japanese Companies in the United States: SEMICONDUCTORS.
April 29, 1999... Building on a 1996 relationship, FUJITSU, LTD. and RAMTRON INTERNATIONAL CORP.have signed a two-year agreement to develop the process technology for embeddable, 0.35-micron, 3-volt, multilevel metal ferroelectric random access memories. The...

Japanese Companies in the United States: SOFTWARE AND INFORMATION SYSTEM.
April 29, 1999... Privately owned Internet companies that need to raise money to expand operations are finding that SOFTBANK CORP.is not the only Japanese company interested in getting on the electronic business bandwagon. For example, HIKARI TSUSHIN, INC., a...

Japanese Companies in the United States: TELECOMMUNICATIONS.
April 29, 1999... Reinforcing a 15-year relationship, TOSHIBA CORP.acquired a 5 percent interest in the Hauppauge, New York wireless subsidiary of AUDIOVOX CORP.for $5 million. AUDIOVOX COMMUNICATIONS CORP.has marketed nearly 10 million Toshiba-made cellular...

Japanese Companies in the United States: TEXTILES AND APPAREL.
April 29, 1999... In an effort to stem the losses of its U.S. operations, SANYO SHOKAI LTD. will end later this spring a five-year arrangement with BURBERRYS LTD. under which SANYO FASHION HOUSE, INC. of New York City markets Burberrys-brand women's casual wear...

Japanese Companies in the United States: TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT.
April 29, 1999... The purchase by RENAULT S.A. of a 36.8 percent controlling interest in NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. and the French automotive maker's involvement in the management of Japan's struggling number-two car and light truck builder are expected to impact...

Japanese Companies in the United States: MISCELLANEOUS.
April 29, 1999... Roughly $7.8 billion in cash will transform JAPAN TOBACCO INC. into the third-largest global tobacco company with seven of the world's top 20 cigarette brands in its portfolio. This is the price that Japan's dominant cigarette manufacturer is...

American Companies in Japan: CHEMICALS.
April 29, 1999... To speed the clinical development of products for the Japanese marketplace, ELI LILLY AND CO. will form an equally owned company with CHUGAI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD., one of Japan's top pharmaceutical manufacturers and a company with which...

American Companies in Japan: COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERALS.
April 29, 1999... Following in its parent's footsteps, HEWLETT-PACKARD JAPAN LTD. will create two independent companies by June 2000. One, which will retain the HP Japan name, will include the firm's enterprise computing systems, PC, printing and imaging, and...

American Companies in Japan: CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE.
April 29, 1999... KELLOGG BROWN & ROOT, one of the biggest international engineering and construction companies, will help CHIYODA CORP.restructure its operations. Japan's number-two plant engineering firm also ranks among the world's 10 largest engineering...

American Companies in Japan: ELECTRIC MACHINERY.
April 29, 1999... With demand expanding for its LightCaster microdisplay panels in consumer electronics products, DISPLAYTECH, INC. has decided to tap the manufacturing expertise of MIYOTA CO., LTD. to boost volume. The Longmont, Colorado company's...

American Companies in Japan: FINANCIAL SERVICES.
April 29, 1999... The rush of American money managers into Japan is taking on stampede-like characteristics. Among the latest companies hoping to serve the nation's big institutional investment market or to tap into its vast pool of personal savings or both is...

American Companies in Japan: FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
April 29, 1999... In its first international licensing arrangement, HORIZON ORGANIC DAIRY, the top U.S. producer of branded organic milk, has agreed with TAKANASHI MILK PRODUCTS, LTD. to cobrand organic dairy products for the local market. Until Japanese dairy...

American Companies in Japan: MERCHANDISING.
April 29, 1999... Two big-name operators of superstores have restructured the ownership of their Japanese operations but in different directions. For its part, OFFICE DEPOT, INC. bought out equal partner DEODEO CORP.for approximately $28 million. The two formed...

American Companies in Japan: METALS AND FABRICATED PRODUCTS.
April 29, 1999... A subsidiary of defense contractor LITTON INDUSTRIES, INC. has acquired for an undisclosed amount TARUTIN CO., LTD., a manufacturer of paste solder and soldering products for Japan's consumer electronics and automotive industries....

American Companies in Japan: NONELECTRIC MACHINERY.
April 29, 1999... The on-demand publishing, billing and financial statement printing business in Japan can take advantage of an extremely high-speed, high-resolution digital printing system from SCITEX DIGITAL PRINTING, INC. that has no domestic match. The...

American Companies in Japan: PHOTO EQUIPMENT AND COPIERS.
April 29, 1999... The latest addition to EASTMAN KODAK CO.'s subsidiary's lineup of digital cameras is the DC240 Zoom, which has a 1.3-million charge-coupled device. Described as easy to use, even by novice photographers, the camera lists for $625......To meet...

American Companies in Japan: PRECISION AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
April 29, 1999... ULTRAK, INC., a manufacturer of products for the security and surveillance markets, sold its 10 percent stake in SECURION 24 CO., LTD. The Lewisville, Texas company acquired this ownership in August 1997. At that time, it made Securion 24,...

American Companies in Japan: SEMICONDUCTORS.
April 29, 1999... At a time when all of Japan's big semiconductor makers are restructuring their operations at home and abroad, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC. has committed to a major strengthening of its Japanese manufacturing capabilities. Over the next three to four...

American Companies in Japan: SOFTWARE AND INFORMATION SERVICES.
April 29, 1999... Consumers in Japan soon will be able to shop for a car by PC. MICROSOFT CORP., SOFTBANK CORP.and YAHOO! JAPAN CORP.have agreed to localize Microsoft's MSN CarPoint on-line automotive service. The launch date is the fourth quarter of this year....

American Companies in Japan: TELECOMMUNICATIONS.
April 29, 1999... Months behind schedule, the local affiliate of ORBCOMM GLOBAL, L.P.launched commercial two-way monitoring, tracking and messaging services through a network of low-earth-orbit satellites (see Japan-U.S. Business Report No.346, July 1998,...

American Companies in Japan: TEXTILES AND APPAREL.
April 29, 1999... Attempting to extend its sales of children's wear to casual clothing from just sports apparel, REEBOK INTERNATIONAL LTD.'s subsidiary tied up with a Kyoto-based wholesaler that is strong in this area. Starting with fall/winter merchandise,...

American Companies in Japan: TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT.
April 29, 1999... As part of a multifaceted strategy to pump life into its slumping Japanese sales, FORD MOTOR CO. is buying out MAZDA MOTOR CORP.'s 45.1 percent share in FORD SALES JAPAN LTD. That company is the primary retail channel for imported Ford...

American Companies in Japan: MISCELLANEOUS.
April 29, 1999... BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CO. has assigned its Tokyo research center greater responsibility for developing the company's personal-care business not only in Japan but elsewhere in Asia as well. The R&D facility already has adapted Clairol Herbal...