Japan

Panasonic cuts earnings forecast for fiscal 2008

Tokyo - Panasonic Corp on Thursday cut its earnings forecast for the current fiscal year on the yen's rise and a slowdown in consumption.

Sharp, Enel to build solar-cell power plants in Italy

Being idols takes more than just looks in JapanTokyo- Japanese home electronics company Sharp Corp and Italy's largest power company Enel SpA plan to launch a joint venture to develop a number of photovoltaic power plants by the end of 2012, Sharp said Thursday.

The joint business was expected to start in spring, and it plans to build power plants mainly in southern Italy with a total output capacity of 189 megawatts, using thin-film solar cells, the Japanese company said.

Major Japanese carmakers report export declines in October

ToyotaTokyo - Japan's major carmakers on Thursday announced declines in their October exports.

The nation's leading automaker, Toyota Motor Corp, saw its October exports fall 13.7 per cent from the same month a year earlier while exports at Nissan Motor Co dipped 3.2 per cent and Honda Motor Co's exports fell 0.2 per cent.

Toyota's global car production declined 14.7 per cent to 700,146 units and overseas output also dropped 12.5 per cent to 358,198 units.

Its domestic output sank 17 per cent to 341,948 units, and domestic sales dipped 13.7 per cent to 119,999 units.

Afghan police to train in Japan

Afghan police to train in JapanTokyo  - Japan's National Police Agency plans to invite Afghan officers for training in December, it said Thursday.

About 10 Afghan police officers are to visit Japan for about two weeks starting Monday to learn about such things as Japan's crime laboratory techniques and its koban police box system, which places mini-police stations in communities for closer contact with the public.

The Afghan police are to receive lectures on policing, recruiting and fighting narcotics.

Wall Street's surge helps Tokyo stocks rebound

Wall Street's surge helps Tokyo stocks reboundTokyo 

Being idols takes more than just looks in Japan

Being idols takes more than just looks in JapanTokyo  - Japan's hottest new idols are busy not only brushing up their appearances, but also their inner beauty by cramming on East Asian history to maintain the title of reki-doru or history-buff idols.

The erudite idol genre grew from the popularity of a Japanese video game focusing on the nation's 15th and 16th centuries war-time era and popular manga comics depicting China's Romance of Three Kingdoms. This has helped boost clientele, according to Japan's business daily, The Nikkei.

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