Media, Entertainment and Gaming
ò According to the head of Yahoo Japan Corp, the company is looking to setting up alliances with a range of mass media. The company said it is considering partnerships with newspapers and broadcasters in a bid to get more net-based advertisers. Yahoo Japan said it will consider all media groups for this undertaking.
Internet
ò kabu.com Securities announced that Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, BNP Paribas Securities (Japan), Goldman Sachs Japan and Credit Suisse Securities (Japan) will join its nighttime stock trading market. Earlier in August, SBI Japannext, a joint venture between SBI Holdings and Goldman Sachs, started activities in a similar after-hours market, hosting the trading of several brokerages. Industry observers say the move by kabu.com is expected to make the competition more intense in this sector of the securities market. The company is a member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.
Mobile/Wireless
ò KDDI Corp announced that it is entering into an alliance with local partners and a US-based chip maker, a move that accompanies its decision to form a joint venture to bid for a license for next-generation high-speed wireless data communications services using mobile WiMAX technology. KDDI, the countryÆs second-biggest mobile carrier, has been one of the first supporters to promote mobile WiMAX technology and aims to surpass bigger player NTT DoCoMo Inc in terms of transmission speeds for wireless data communications services.
ò NextWave Wireless, a US telecom firm, revealed its decision to sell its stake in IP Mobile, a move that makes it the second foreign firm to exit Japan's competitive mobile telephone industry after BritainÆs VodafoneÆs exit in 2006. In August, NextWave acquired a 69.2% stake in IP Mobile from Mori Trust, which made it the top shareholder of the company. With this development, Mori Trust Co disclosed that it will buy back the stake and again. NextWave is a supplier of wireless broadband products, technologies and network solutions.
hardware
ò Fujifilm Holdings Corp will start cost-cutting in its digital camera business, a move that include transferring all camera production to China and outsourcing some semiconductor processing to Toshiba Corp. Specifically, the company said it would close a camera manufacturing unit, Fujifilm Photonics Co, with some 200 out of the 700 workers to be moved to a newly established assembly and testing company and no decision has been reached yet as to the remaining 500 workers. Fujifilm said it is looking to focus more on core businesses including medical and printing systems.
Semiconductors
ò Sony issued a denial regarding reports that it is selling its chips business to Toshiba. With the denial, Sony says it is considering ways to improve its chip operations but declined to offer specifics.
Ventures/Investments
ò Media sources say Toshiba Corp. has made a decision to sell off a piece of valuable real estate in Tokyo's Ginza district to focus on its semiconductor chip operations. Toshiba plans to offer Ginza Toshiba Building to Tokyu Land Corp, a major real estate firm, in a deal placed at approximately 150 billion yen ($1.2 billion) by the end of this year at the earliest. Sources say that Toshiba is in talks with Sony Corp to acquire Sony's facilities to produce Cell advanced microprocessor chips for about 100 billion yen ($865.8 million). The Cell chips were jointly developed by Toshiba, Sony and IBM Corp.
ò Industry sources indicate that Japan Airlines Corp will be initiating talks with potential buyers for its credit card business next month. The reports say that JAL may consider selling JALcard Inc. by the end of March as part of its restructuring plans. JALcard is No 6 in Japan's credit card industry and is valued at about 100 billion yen ($867 million).
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