Asia
Panasonic starts solar panel production in Malaysia
December 13, 2012 11:29 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsPanasonic Corp. started manufacturing solar panels Thursday at a newly built plant in Malaysia, boosting the global production capacity of its cutting-edge solar batteries to 900 megawatts per year from the current 600 megawatts.
Hitachi holds 1st board meeting in India
December 13, 2012 11:24 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsHitachi Ltd. on Thursday held a board of directors' meeting in the Indian capital New Delhi, the first time it has held such a meeting outside Japan since the company's founding in 1910. All 13 company executives including Chairman Takashi Kawamura and President Hiroaki Nakanishi attended the meeting.
Regulatory body: Radiation spread projection full of errors
December 13, 2012 11:13 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's nuclear regulatory authority said Thursday it found errors in its radiation spread projections in the event of a severe accident for all the country's nuclear power plants after thoroughly reviewing its previous already mistake-plagued results.
Yamada Denki acquisition of Best Denki
December 13, 2012 11:02 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsYamada Denki Co. said Thursday it has completed a deal to make smaller rival Best Denki Co. a subsidiary of the top home electronics retailer. Yamada Denki, previously the second-largest shareholder in Best Denki after Bic Camera Inc., spent approximately 12.12 billion yen to raise its stake in Best Denki to 51.2 percent...
Golf: Panasonic ends sponsorship deal with Ishikawa
December 13, 2012 10:57 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsElectronics giant Panasonic announced Thursday that it will not renew its sponsorship contract with golfer Ryo Ishikawa when the deal expires next January. The company also said 2013 will be the last year of its sponsorship of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open.
Blue Earth and Hareon Solar Technology develop solar project in Hawaii
December 12, 2012 12:05 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBlue Earth, Inc. (OTCQB: BBLU) a renewable energy and energy efficiency services company, announced today that it signed a joint development agreement with Hareon Solar Technology Co., Ltd ("Hareon Solar") to jointly fund and develop a 497 KW ground mounted solar PV system, the "Waianae Project," on the island of Oahu, with Hareon being the controlling member.
Mitsumi chooses MxL683 for Time-Shifting TVs
December 12, 2012 11:23 am | by MaxLinear | News | CommentsMaxLinear Inc., a leading provider of integrated radio frequency and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications applications, announced today that Mitsumi Corp. has started mass production shipments of its latest generation of six-channel “time shift” TV network interface modules for use in Japanese televisions based on MaxLinear’s MxL683.
Panasonic to sell Sanyo's digital camera division
December 12, 2012 11:13 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsPanasonic Corp. is in final talks to sell the digital camera division of its subsidiary Sanyo Electric Co. to Japanese investment fund Advantage Partners LLP, industry sources said Wednesday. The move comes as the division's earnings have deteriorated on the diffusion of smartphones...
North Korea's rocket victory has deep consequences
December 12, 2012 10:54 am | by PETER ENAV, Associated Press | News | CommentsNorth Korea says it wanted a satellite to help track the weather and send back data. But the United States, South Korea and their allies see the Unha-3 rocket that launched it as a potential weapon, theoretically capable of delivering high-impact munitions as far as California...
Merging nuclear business with Hitachi possible
December 11, 2012 10:45 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. showed a positive attitude Tuesday about integrating the company's nuclear power business with that of Hitachi Ltd., after the two firms last month announced a merger of their thermal power generation business.
Renesas to receive up to 200 bil. yen bailout
December 10, 2012 10:47 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsStruggling Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp. said Monday it will receive up to 200 billion yen in aid from a government-backed fund and private-sector firms to turn its faltering business around.
Nintendo's new Wii U game console hits shelves in Japan
December 10, 2012 10:40 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsNintendo Co. on Saturday launched its new Wii U game console in Japan, aiming to stage a comeback in a gaming market characterized by the rapid growth of mobile phone-based social games. With the launch of the successor to its video game console Wii launched in 2006, the Japanese game console and software maker seeks to turn its business around.
Eyelit’s Software Selected by TowerJazz for Wafer Fab in Japan
December 7, 2012 1:01 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsEyelit Inc., a manufacturing software provider for the aerospace & defense, discrete electronics, semiconductor, and photovoltaic industries, announced that TowerJazz, one of the world’s largest pure-play semiconductor foundries has selected the Eyelit Semiconductor Edition MES suite to be used in the fab of its subsidiary TowerJazz Japan, Ltd.
CyberLink introduces advanced software for creative consumers
December 6, 2012 12:23 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsCyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), an innovative solutions provider for media creativity, today launched PowerProducer 6, a new standard for Blu-ray and DVD disc authoring. PowerProducer 6 provides home users with a comprehensive disc authoring solution with support for the latest and most popular media formats...
Major Renesas shareholders decide on restructuring
December 6, 2012 12:20 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThree major shareholders of Renesas Electronics Corp. have decided on specific measures to turn around the Japanese chipmaker, with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. accepting around 300 employees, sources close to the matter said Thursday.
Kansai Electric seeks to skip summer bonus payments
December 6, 2012 12:17 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsKansai Electric Power Co. has proposed skipping next summer's bonus payments and conducting a 5 percent pay-scale cut to the labor union for its management rationalization plan as the utility seeks to raise electricity charges, company officials said Thursday.
Consumers across Asia actively engage in social networking
December 6, 2012 11:51 am | by The GFK Group | News | CommentsNew research from GfK shows that 23 percent of today’s most digitally savvy people live in the Asia Pacific region. These ‘Super Connected’ APAC consumers are distinguished by unusually high engagement with social media – global sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as regional networks.
M'bishi, GS Yuasa to supply battery system for Chile power plant
December 5, 2012 11:26 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMitsubishi Corp. and GS Yuasa International Ltd. said Wednesday they will jointly supply lithium-ion battery equipment with a maximum output of 20 megawatts for use at a new coal-fired power plant in northern Chile.
STMicroelectronics announces winners of 2012 iNEMO Design Contest in China
December 4, 2012 10:03 am | by STMicroelectronics | News | CommentsSTMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and the world’s top manufacturer of MEMS announced Dragon Dance Team from Xidian University as the winner of the 2012 iNEMO Design Contest in China.
Descartes signs first service provider agreement for Japan Customs
December 4, 2012 9:55 am | by NACCS | News | CommentsDescartes Systems Group, the global leader in the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, announced it is the first service provider to sign an agreement with Nippon Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System, Inc. (NACCS Center) to electronically file customs documents to Japan Customs...
China's dot-com darlings tap cheap global credit
December 3, 2012 4:02 pm | by Umesh Desai and Pete Sweeney, Reuters | News | CommentsChinese search engine company Baidu Inc paid a lower interest rate than Google Inc when it sold $750 million in 10-year bonds last month. China's three dominant dot-com names - Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent Holdings Ltd - have successfully tapped global funding this year....
Nuclear-Fukushima update
December 3, 2012 10:41 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTokyo Electric Power Co. and the government said Monday they will seek to complete the removal of all fuel assemblies inside the No. 4 unit of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant by the end of 2014, a year earlier than initially planned.
Foreign competition prods Mitsubishi, Hitachi to merge
November 30, 2012 11:50 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe move by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Hitachi Ltd. to merge their non-nuclear thermal power businesses, announced Thursday, comes as the firms face increasing competition from foreign rivals for orders in the domestic market.
Japan output update
November 30, 2012 11:36 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's industrial production grew 1.8 percent in October from the previous month for the first rise in four months, largely helped by demand from Asian countries for parts used in smartphones, the industry ministry said in a preliminary report issued Friday.
Another suit filed against Kansai Electric
November 30, 2012 11:31 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA group of 154 people in Fukui and other prefectures filed on Friday a lawsuit seeking suspension of the Oi nuclear power plant, contending Kansai Electric Power Co. resumed the operation of two reactors there while their safety has yet to be guaranteed.
