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

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

Production of polypropylene resin will begin early in January 2000 at ARCO POLYPROPYLENE.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Production of polypropylene resin will begin early in January 2000 at ARCO POLYPROPYLENE, LLCs state-of-the-art, 220,000-ton-a-year facility in Carson, California. ITOCHU CORP. (one-third) and ATLANTIC RICHFIELD CO.'s ARCO PRODUCTS CO....

Cutting its losses, surfactant manufacturer NICCA CHEMICAL CO., LTD. ended production of specialty chemical products.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Cutting its losses, surfactant manufacturer NICCA CHEMICAL CO., LTD. ended production of specialty chemical products at its Fountain Inn, South Carolina subsidiary. The plant will continue its profitable specialty textile chemicals business,...

Interested in expanding its already significant agrichemicals division particularly the range of products it sells for organic farming, SUMITOMO CHEMICAL CO., LTD. agreed to buy the agricultural products business of ABBOTT LABORATORIES.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Interested in expanding its already significant agrichemicals division, particularly the range of products it sells for organic farming, SUMITOMO CHEMICAL CO., LTD. agreed to buy the agricultural products business of ABBOTT LABORATORIES. The...

Even second-tier pharmaceutical manufacturers believe that they need a R&D presence in the United States to succeed internationally.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Even second-tier pharmaceutical manufacturers believe that they need a R&D presence in the United States to succeed internationally. The latest company to make this move is SUMITOMO PHARMACEUTICALS CO., LTD. (see Japan-U.S. Business Report No....

Fellow midsize drug company MITSUI PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. thinks that its MS-275, a synthetic benzamide derivative, has sufficient potential as a chemotherapeutic treatment for cancers.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Fellow midsize drug company MITSUI PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. thinks that its MS-275, a synthetic benzamide derivative, has sufficient potential as a chemotherapeutic treatment for cancers insensitive to traditional antitumor agents to launch...

Japan's second-largest pharmaceutical house, SANKYO CO., LTD., has not been shy about its intention to remain a player in the rapidly consolidating world drug industry.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Japan's second-largest pharmaceutical house, SANKYO CO., LTD., has not been shy about its intention to remain a player in the rapidly consolidating world drug industry. Soon after announcing that CS-866 (olmesartan medoxil), an oral...

SANKYO CO., LTD. readily acknowledges that to achieve its goal of selling products commercialized in-house on its own in the United States, it must develop its marketing and distribution capabilities.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... SANKYO CO., LTD. readily acknowledges that to achieve its goal of selling products commercialized in-house on its own in the United States, it must develop its marketing and distribution capabilities. That was a primary reason the company was...

A February 1997 partnership between SANKYO CO., LTD. and OSI PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. of Uniondale, New York to discover and develop small molecule compounds.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... A February 1997 partnership between SANKYO CO., LTD. and OSI PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. of Uniondale, New York to discover and develop small molecule compounds to treat influenza has been renewed for two more years. Several active compounds have...

Caspases -- a family of 11 structurally related human enzymes.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Caspases -- a family of 11 structurally related human enzymes known to play specific roles in apoptosis or programmed cell death -- will be the focus of a collaboration between TAISHO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD. and VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC....

Bolstering its efforts to discover novel lead compounds.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Bolstering its efforts to discover novel lead compounds, OTSUKA PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD. contracted to use the lead discovery services of PHARMACOPEIA, INC. These services start with high-throughput screening of the Princeton, New Jersey firm's...

For months, even longer industry analysts have been saying that it was just a matter of time before NEC CORP. pulled the plug on persistently money-losing PACKARD BELL NEC, INC.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... For months, even longer, industry analysts have been saying that it was just a matter of time before NEC CORP. pulled the plug on persistently money-losing PACKARD BELL NEC, INC. That time has arrived. The Sacramento, California manufacturer of...

Mainframe systems marketer AMDAHL CORP. of San Jose, California, a wholly owned FUJITSU, LTD. company, is taking over the U.S. sales and marketing operations of SIEMENS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS LLC.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Mainframe systems marketer AMDAHL CORP. of San Jose, California, a wholly owned FUJITSU, LTD. company, is taking over the U.S. sales and marketing operations of SIEMENS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS LLC. The arrangement is an outgrowth...

The next generation of the wildly popular PALM COMPUTING, INC. handheld platform will be codeveloped with SONY CORP.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... The next generation of the wildly popular PALM COMPUTING, INC. handheld platform will be codeveloped with SONY CORP. The starting point for the collaboration is Sony's decision to license the Palm OS operating system and the commitment by Palm...

The last products released by PACKARD BELL NEC, INC.'s NEC CSD were three additions to the Versa notebook line.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... The last products released by PACKARD BELL NEC, INC.'s NEC CSD were three additions to the Versa notebook line targeted at different groups of users. The Versa LXi is aimed at people looking for a desktop replacement at prices starting at...

The next generation of the ePlate handheld PC from HITACHI AMERICA, LTD. will debut in the first quarter of 2000.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... The next generation of the ePlate handheld PC from HITACHI AMERICA, LTD. will debut in the first quarter of 2000. Among other innovations, the HPW-630ETR incorporates an 8.2-inch color transfiective LCD display that allows use of the device in...

MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORP. will develop the media for MAXOPTIX CORP.'s next-generation Optical Super Density high-capacity, removable, magneto-optical storage devices.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORP. will develop the media for MAXOPTIX CORP.'s next-generation Optical Super Density high-capacity, removable, magneto-optical storage devices. The new OSD drives, which combine near-hard drive data-transfer rates and...

In their second tie-up, KENWOOD CORP. and ZEN RESEARCH INC. have codeveloped a CD-ROM drive with an industry-leading read speed of 72X.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... In their second tie-up, KENWOOD CORP. and ZEN RESEARCH INC. have codeveloped a CD-ROM drive with an industry-leading read speed of 72X. Like their earlier 52X drive (see Japan-U.S. Business Report No. 355, April 1999, p. 4), the new one is...

Hard drive OEM customers of FUJITSU COMPUTER PRODUCTS OF AMERICA, INC. will have two new families of enterprise products available by the end of the first quarter of 2000.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Hard drive OEM customers of FUJITSU COMPUTER PRODUCTS OF AMERICA, INC. will have two new families of enterprise products available by the end of the first quarter of 2000 as well as the San Jose, California firm's next generation of entry-level...

HITACHI, LTD. intends to be a major player in the market.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... HITACHI, LTD. intends to be a major player in the market for digital video disc-random access memory drives, which, given their high speed, large storage capacity and rewritability, it sees as the medium of choice in the multimedia world of the...

The main promoter of combination drives, RICOH CO., LTD., has moved up the release of its latest product.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... The main promoter of combination drives, RICOH CO., LTD., has moved up the release of its latest product, a four-in-one, CD-Recordable/CD-ReWritable/ DVD-ROM drive, in response to strong initial business and consumer interest. The MP9060A...

Small businesses and workgroups never again will have trouble locating an electronic or a paper document.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Small businesses and workgroups never again will have trouble locating an electronic or a paper document. That is the promise made by RICOH SILICON VALLEY, INC. for its novel eCabinet information-management solution. With eCabinet plugged into...

KYOCERA ELECTRONICS, INC.'s strategy for making headway in the extremely competitive U.S. market.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... KYOCERA ELECTRONICS, INC.'s strategy for making headway in the extremely competitive U.S. market for laser printers is to emphasize the low cost of ownership of its products just as much as their performance and quality. The latest printer to...

Rounding out its coverage of the ink-jet printer market, SEIKO EPSON CORP.'s Long Beach, California marketing unit introduced a wide-format business graphics printer.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Rounding out its coverage of the ink-jet printer market, SEIKO EPSON CORP.'s Long Beach, California marketing unit introduced a wide-format business graphics printer. The EPSON Stylus Color 1160 prints up to 9.5 pages per minute of black text...

Multifunction peripherals have proved to be a tough sale for suppliers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Multifunction peripherals have proved to be a tough sale for suppliers, in part because they do not necessarily improve productivity. SHARP CORP. has taken on this complaint in its FO-3800M multifunction digital laser...

SONY ELECTRONICS, INC. continues to push the envelope on flat-panel displays.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... SONY ELECTRONICS, INC. continues to push the envelope on flat-panel displays. The 15-inch Multi-scan N50 XGA TFT active-matrix LCD panel showcases the company's latest engineering efforts. The sleek black design measures just a half-inch at the...

Although touting its flat-panel display expertise, SONY ELECTRONICS, INC. continues to advance its lineup of CRT computer displays.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Although touting its flat-panel display expertise, SONY ELECTRONICS, INC. continues to advance its lineup of CRT computer displays, all of which now have been converted to the company's "virtually flat" FD Trinitron technology. Marking the...

Low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCDs have an edge on amorphous silicon TFT LCDs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCDs have an edge on amorphous silicon TFT LCDs in terms of both resolution and brightness for new generations of mobile personal devices, TOSHIBA CORP. maintains. Its latest effort in this field is the world's...

For the last 13 years, TIFFANY & CO. has leased its flagship store.(Tiffany and Co. buys New York building)(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... For the last 13 years, TIFFANY & CO. has leased its flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan from DAIICHI REAL ESTATE CO., LTD. Now, the 10-story, 124,000-square-foot building, which was designed and built specifically for...

Beating out two other bidders, including another Japanese team, SUMITOMO CORP. and partner MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD. won a $109 million contract.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Beating out two other bidders, including another Japanese team, SUMITOMO CORP. and partner MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD. won a $109 million contract to build an automated people mover system at AMERICAN AIRLINES INC.'s new North Terminal at...

Santa Clara, California is the location of YASKAWA ELECTRIC CORP.'s U.S. mechatronics marketing unit.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Santa Clara, California is the location of YASKAWA ELECTRIC CORP.'s U.S. mechatronics marketing unit (see Japan-U.S. Business Report No. 361, October 1999, p. 6). The staff of 10 or so is working to develop customers among semiconductor makers...

By yearend, SMK CORP., a big maker of connectors, switches and other mechanical components for computer, communications and consumer electronics products, planned to open an office.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... By yearend, SMK CORP., a big maker of connectors, switches and other mechanical components for computer, communications and consumer electronics products, planned to open an office to market connectors and other parts for cellular telephones to...

NICHICON CORP., Japan's top producer of aluminum capacitors and a major maker of tantalum capacitors, and VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY, INC. have agreed to combine R&D efforts.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... NICHICON CORP., Japan's top producer of aluminum capacitors and a major maker of tantalum capacitors, and VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY, INC. have agreed to combine R&D efforts to advance the state of the art in tantalum capacitors as well as in...

Even after all these years, SONY CORP.'s technical prowess still can wow people.(Sony introduces the VAIO Music Clip)(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Even after all these years, SONY CORP.'s technical prowess still can wow people. The latest demonstration is the VAIO Music Clip. Called a personal network player, this sleek, cigar-size device stores and plays secure digital music content...

The progressive deregulation of Japan's power-generation market has a number of domestic firms scrambling to gain the expertise to take advantage of the business opportunities emerging.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... The progressive deregulation of Japan's power-generation market has a number of domestic firms scrambling to gain the expertise to take advantage of the business opportunities emerging. For MITSUBISHI CORP. and TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC,...

In a further diversification of its U.S. agricultural operations, ITOCHU CORP. has introduced in California a feed additive developed by CALPIS CO., LTD. Calsporin.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... In a further diversification of its U.S. agricultural operations, ITOCHU CORP. has introduced in California a feed additive developed by CALPIS CO., LTD. Calsporin is a beneficial bacterial product that is said to lower the incidence of...

At a cost of roughly $47.6 million, AICHI STEEL CORP. is buying the 80 percent of LOUISVILLE FORGE AND GEAR WORKS.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... At a cost of roughly $47.6 million, AICHI STEEL CORP. is buying the 80 percent of LOUISVILLE FORGE AND GEAR WORKS, LLC that it does not own already. The manufacturer of specialty steel and forged products bought into the Georgetown, Kentucky...

STRAWBERRY CORP. is moving into the American market for microhinges.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... STRAWBERRY CORP. is moving into the American market for microhinges used in such products as cellular phones and PCs. Although only three years old, the Kawagoe, Saitama prefecture manufacturer claims to be the world's leading supplier of...

Virtually unnoticed outside the business, SONY CORP.'s main U.S. subsidiary sold MATERIALS RESEARCH CORP. to industrial gases giant PRAXAIR, INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Virtually unnoticed outside the business, SONY CORP.'s main U.S. subsidiary sold MATERIALS RESEARCH CORP. to industrial gases giant PRAXAIR, INC. Sony's 1989 purchase of Orangeburg, New York-headquartered MRC, then a manufacturer of chemical...

During the mid-1980s, HOSOKAWA MICRON CORP.'s New York City subsidiary used acquisitions to build what it calls product recovery products.(will sell recovery products to Beacon Industrial)(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... During the mid-1980s, HOSOKAWA MICRON CORP.'s New York City subsidiary used acquisitions to build what it calls product recovery products -- industrial filter media, filter bags and cloths, for example -- into one of its four major businesses....

Although operations began only about a year ago, an expansion is underway at bellows manufacturer NABELL CORP.'s plant.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Although operations began only about a year ago, an expansion is underway at bellows manufacturer NABELL CORP.'s plant in New London, North Carolina. A cutting and sewing line has been set up, and a welding machine is scheduled for installation...

Production of KUBOTA CORP.'s new BX-Series of subcompact tractors has started at the company's 11-year-old plant in Gainesville, Georgia.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Production of KUBOTA CORP.'s new BX-Series of subcompact tractors has started at the company's 11-year-old plant in Gainesville, Georgia. The two models in the line -- the BX 1800, which features an 18-horse-power version of Kubota's...

KOMATSU UTILITY CORP. hopes to ride the strong demand in the United States.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... KOMATSU UTILITY CORP. hopes to ride the strong demand in the United States for compact excavators and sell 2,000 units in 2001 versus 500 or so in 1998. Key to the Vernon Hills, Illinois company's ambitious goal are three models in KOMATSU...

Taking aim at XEROX CORP.'s near-stranglehold on digital machines for print-on-demand establishments and centralized corporate production centers, CANON INC.'s Lake Success, New York subsidiary introduced its first high-volume digital printer/copier product.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Taking aim at XEROX CORP's near-stranglehold on digital machines for print-on-demand establishments and centralized corporate production centers, CANON INC.'s Lake Success, New York subsidiary introduced its first high-volume digital...

Within the next two years, FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD. expects to be one of the three biggest optoelectronics suppliers in North America.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Within the next two years, FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD. expects to be one of the three biggest optoelectronics suppliers in North America. To this end, it formed FITEL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. in Clinton, New Jersey to run all existing FEC...

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD. is working with CIDRA CORP.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD. is working with CIDRA CORP. to advance the capabilities of the Wallingford, Connecticut firm's distributed fiber-optic sensing systems. Oil companies use these imaging and monitoring systems to locate, manage...

Marketing will start in spring 2000 of a tissue preparation system developed by the Torrance, California subsidiary of histology and cytology equipment manufacturer SAKURA FINE TECHNICAL CO., LTD.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Marketing will start in spring 2000 of a tissue preparation system developed by the Torrance, California subsidiary of histology and cytology equipment manufacturer SAKURA FINE TECHNICAL CO., LTD. The Tissue-Tek Paraform Sectionable Cassette...

The team of TOTOKU CORP. and Westminster, Colorado-based DATA-RAY CORP. has developed what is said to be the world's first perfectly flat CRT monitor for PACS (picture archive and communication systems) medical imaging.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... The team of TOTOKU CORP. and Westminster, Colorado-based DATA-RAY CORP. has developed what is said to be the world's first perfectly flat CRT monitor for PACS (picture archive and communication systems) medical imaging. This profile eliminates...

To support its push into the international market for set-top boxes and other digital television broadcast equipment, MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP. invested $5 million in TERALOGIC, INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... To support its push into the international market for set-top boxes and other digital television broadcast equipment, MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP. invested $5 million in TERALOGIC, INC. The fabless Mountain View, California start-up, in which...

By the spring of 2000, NEC CORP. expects to be selling 1 million virtual channel memories a month.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... By the spring of 2000, NEC CORP. expects to be selling 1 million virtual channel memories a month. Within a year, it believes that it can jump the monthly total to 5 million units. A volume order from PC supplier MICRON ELECTRONICS, INC. of...

Management of R&D activities for all CANON INC. operations in the Americas has been assigned to CANON U.S.A., INC.'s new Canon Research and Development Group.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Management of R&D activities for all CANON INC. operations in the Americas has been assigned to CANON U.S.A., INC.'s new Canon Research and Development Group. This organization is headquartered in a recently opened, 163,500-square-foot facility...

SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.'s Phoenix, Arizona subsidiary is working with wafer stepper manufacturer ULTRATECH STEPPER, INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.'s Phoenix, Arizona subsidiary is working with wafer stepper manufacturer ULTRATECH STEPPER, INC. to develop processes for thick-film and specialty photoresist applications using the San Jose, California company's lx...

Semiconductor production equipment manufacturer DSI K.K. has given AMTECH SYSTEMS, INC. of Tempe, Arizona exclusive rights for three years.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Semiconductor production equipment manufacturer DSI K.K. has given AMTECH SYSTEMS, INC. of Tempe, Arizona exclusive rights for three years to market its high vacuum-type vertical furnace system for annealing in the United States, Europe and...

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. selected the Unity DRM oxide etcher from TOKYO ELECTRON LTD.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. selected the Unity DRM oxide etcher from TOKYO ELECTRON LTD. to perform the critical local interconnect application involving cobalt silicide at its Fab 25 microprocessor front end. AMD migrated to CoSi from...

In January, the Austin, Texas subsidiary of TOKYO ELECTRON LTD. will begin marketing a fully automatic prober for 300-mm (12-inch) wafers.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... In January, the Austin, Texas subsidiary of TOKYO ELECTRON LTD. will begin marketing a fully automatic prober for 300-mm (12-inch) wafers. The mechanical architecture of the second-generation Model P-12XL is designed to sustain high loads while...

The Methuen, Massachusetts marketing unit of ULVAC JAPAN, LTD. has introduced a pair of sputtering systems.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... The Methuen, Massachusetts marketing unit of ULVAC JAPAN, LTD. has introduced a pair of sputtering systems. The small, cluster-type Model SME-200 sputtering system for compound semiconductor and SAW (surface acoustic wave) devices responds to...

Generation six of KOMATSU LTD.'s krypton excimer laser light source for high numerical aperture steppers and scanners is available from the company's Santa Clara, California sales office.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Generation six of KOMATSU LTD.'s krypton excimer laser light source for high numerical aperture steppers and scanners is available from the company's Santa Clara, California sales office (see Japan-U.S. Business Report No. 359, August 1999, p....

Within weeks of opening its doors, the Internet Incubator at PANASONIC TECHNOLOGIES, INC.'s Panasonic Digital Concepts Center in Cupertino, California was home to five early-stage, rapidly growing Internet and electronic commerce start-ups.
December 1, 1999... Within weeks of opening its doors, the Internet Incubator at PANASONIC TECHNOLOGIES, INC.'s Panasonic Digital Concepts Center in Cupertino, California was home to five early-stage, rapidly growing Internet and electronic commerce start-ups (see...

American Internet start-ups that need money to get off the ground or to expand continue to find willing investors among the handful of Japanese companies that have tied their future to this medium.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... American Internet start-ups that need money to get off the ground or to expand continue to find willing investors among the handful of Japanese companies that have tied their future to this medium. For example, year-old PRESENTER. COM, INC,...

SOFTBANK CORP.'s Mountain View, California-based SOFTBANK VENTURE CAPITAL unit, which manages venture-capital funds focused mainly on early-stage Internet companies, hopes to bolster its reputation.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... SOFTBANK CORP.'s Mountain View, California-based SOFTBANK VENTURE CAPITAL unit, which manages venture-capital funds focused mainly on early-stage Internet companies, hopes to bolster its reputation as the driving force behind some of the most...

In another test of its ability to pick winners, SOFTBANK VENTURE CAPITAL joined two other American venture-capital funds in putting up money for SPIN MEDIA NETWORK, INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... In another test of its ability to pick winners, SOFTBANK VENTURE CAPITAL joined two other American venture-capital funds in putting up money for SPIN MEDIA NETWORK, INC. Established in 1998, the Palo Alto, California company runs Spinway.com,...

Softbank Group companies have been the leading source of funding for American Internet start-ups.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Softbank Group companies have been the leading source of funding for American Internet start-ups, but HIKARI TSUSHIN, INC., Japan's biggest distributor of cellular telephones, also is making a name for itself. Among other recent initiatives,...

Another Internet venture that has caught HIKARI TSUSHIN, INC.'s eye is MEDSITE.COM, INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Another Internet venture that has caught HIKARI TSUSHIN, INC.'s eye is MEDSITE.COM, INC. The four-year-old, Manhattan-based business, which calls itself the physician's home on the Internet, generated $36 million in follow-on financing through...

XSIDES CORP. (formerly The Pixel Co.) also received a vote of confidence from HIKARI TSUSHIN, INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... XSIDES CORP. (formerly The Pixel Co.) also received a vote of confidence from HIKARI TSUSHIN, INC. The Japanese business joined other investors in providing $15 million in second-round financing for the Seattle operation, which is developing...

In an investment right down its alley, HIKARI TSUSHIN, INC. joined four other companies, including 3COM CORP., to provide $14 million in second-round financing for PARAGON SOFTWARE INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... In an investment right down its alley, HIKARI TSUSHIN, INC. joined four other companies, including 3COM CORP., to provide $14 million in second-round financing for PARAGON SOFTWARE INC. The Santa Clara, California firm's FoneSync software...

TRANS COSMOS INC. and its Bellevue, Washington subsidiary also have built up an enviable portfolio of dot-com investments.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... TRANS COSMOS INC. and its Bellevue, Washington subsidiary also have built up an enviable portfolio of dot-com investments. One of the latest additions is TRANZ-SEND BROADCASTING NETWORK, INC., into which the American affiliate put more than $3...

Japan's trading companies also have emerged as a source of funding for Internet and information technology ventures.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Japan's trading companies also have emerged as a source of funding for Internet and information technology ventures. For instance, ITOCHU CORP. led a group of venture-capital funds and private investors that put up $2.4 million in first-round...

For their part, MITSUBISHI CORP. and it primary U.S. subsidiary acquired a reported 25 percent in ERGONOMIC TECHNOLOGIES CORP.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... For their part, MITSUBISHI CORP. and it primary U.S. subsidiary acquired a reported 25 percent in ERGONOMIC TECHNOLOGIES CORP. for an undisclosed amount. The six-year-old Oyster Bay, New York ergonomic consulting technology company will use the...

Forthcoming SONY CORP. audio products featuring the consumer electronics innovator's OpenMG and MagicGate copyright management technologies will be able to play music content protected by INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.'s Electronic Music Management System.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Forthcoming SONY CORP. audio products featuring the consumer electronics innovator's OpenMG and MagicGate copyright management technologies will be able to play music content protected by INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.'s Electronic Music...

In an arrangement also designed to promote digital music downloads to personal audio players.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... In an arrangement also designed to promote digital music downloads to personal audio players and PCs while protecting the intellectual property of artists, music labels and other rights holders, SONY CORP. agreed to make OpenMG interoperable...

Last January's agreement between SONY CORP. and SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC. to bridge the Sony-backed HAVi (home audio-visual interoperability) standard for AV equipment and Sun's Jini (Java infrastructure initiative) platform.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Last January's agreement between SONY CORP. and SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC. to bridge the Sony-backed HAVi (home audio-visual interoperability) standard for AV equipment and Sun's Jini (Java infrastructure initiative) platform, which is aimed at...

FUJITSU, LTD. and TIVOLI SYSTEMS INC. have signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... FUJITSU, LTD. and TIVOLI SYSTEMS INC. have signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement designed to help their mutual customers worldwide more efficiently leverage their IT resources. For starters, the diversified electronics company will bundle...

Hoping to win more business from big financial services providers and communications companies in need of mission-critical integration solutions.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Hoping to win more business from big financial services providers and communications companies in need of mission-critical integration solutions, the Waltham, Massachusetts-based Software Solutions Division of HITACHI COMPUTER PRODUCTS...

A wider range of scientific and technical applications soon will be available for COMPAQ COMPUTER CORP.'s powerful 64-bit Unix AlphaServers.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... A wider range of scientific and technical applications soon will be available for COMPAQ COMPUTER CORP.'s powerful 64-bit Unix AlphaServers, thanks to an agreement that the big computer supplier signed with FUJITSU, LTD. Under it, the two...

Attempting to ride the constantly building Linux wave in the United States, FUJITSU SOFTWARE CORP. will release in the first quarter of 2000 a version of TeamWARE Office 5.3.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Attempting to ride the constantly building Linux wave in the United States, FUJITSU SOFTWARE CORP. will release in the first quarter of 2000 a version of TeamWARE Office 5.3 that supports the open-source operating system. This suite of...

Sharp Document & Network Systems of America Division of SHARP CORP.'s main U.S. subsidiary soon will release a pair of document management applications.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... To ensure the continued penetration of the IMAGER line of digital document systems into corporate offices, the Sharp Document & Network Systems of America Division of SHARP CORP.'s main U.S. subsidiary soon will release a pair of document...

CASIO SOFT, INC., the San Jose, California mobile productivity software development subsidiary of CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD., announced Casio Soft Project 2.0.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... CASIO SOFT, INC., the San Jose, California mobile productivity software development subsidiary of CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD., announced Casio Soft Project 2.0. This program lets users import and export Microsoft Project-compatible project...

In a deal valued at $16 million, NAMCO LTD., one of Japan's three largest makers of arcade-type video game equipment, has agreed to buy VIRTUAL MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... In a deal valued at $16 million, NAMCO LTD., one of Japan's three largest makers of arcade-type video game equipment, has agreed to buy VIRTUAL MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT INC. The Andover, Massachusetts company specializes in music-based video games....

In a coup for home video game content developer KONAMI CO., LTD., the company is teaming with the Disney Interactive unit of WALT DISNEY CO.'s Disney Consumer Products Division and ESPN, INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... In a coup for home video game content developer KONAMI CO., LTD., the company is teaming with the Disney Interactive unit of WALT DISNEY CO.'s Disney Consumer Products Division and ESPN, INC. of Bristol, Connecticut to produce a full line of...

With a near-term investment of $1.2 billion, trader MARUBENI CORP. hopes to develop high-speed, high-bandwidth global data communications services into one of its core businesses.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... With a near-term investment of $1.2 billion, trader MARUBENI CORP. hopes to develop high-speed, high-bandwidth global data communications services into one of its core businesses. The company already has committed most of this money. Marubeni...

KYOCERA CORP. is likely to become the second source of supply of iDEN (integrated digital enhanced network) handsets to wireless services provider NEXTEL COMMUNICATIONS, INC.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... KYOCERA CORP. is likely to become the second source of supply of iDEN (integrated digital enhanced network) handsets to wireless services provider NEXTEL COMMUNICATIONS, INC. The two have signed a memorandum of understanding. To finalize the...

Already the producer of modems for METRICOM, INC.'s current-generation Ricochet mobile communications service, ALPS ELECTRIC (U.S.A.), INC. will make the modems for the Los Gatos, California firm's forthcoming 128-kilobit-per-second service.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Already the producer of modems for METRICOM, INC.'s current-generation Ricochet mobile communications service, ALPS ELECTRIC (U.S.A.), INC. will make the modems for the Los Gatos, California firm's forthcoming 128-kilobit-per-second service....

CBS CORP. is using production equipment manufactured by SONY CORP.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... CBS CORP. is using production equipment manufactured by SONY CORP. to create digital high-definition programming for its morning news shows. The contract, which industry sources estimate was worth somewhere between $4.8 million and $5.7...

Operations in Japan will bear the brunt of the restructuring plan that NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. announced in mid-October.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Operations in Japan will bear the brunt of the restructuring plan that NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. announced in mid-October, but the number-two Japanese automotive maker's North American business will not be exempt from this cost-cutting,...

TOYOTA MOTOR CORP. and GENERAL MOTORS CORP. have codeveloped an inductive charging system for electric vehicles.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... TOYOTA MOTOR CORP. and GENERAL MOTORS CORP. have codeveloped an inductive charging system for electric vehicles that is based on the American partner's Magne-Charge inductive-charge technology. This breakthrough is the result of a June 1998...