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Kyodo news summary -11-(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOKYO, Aug. 31 -- (Kyodo) _ ---------- Japan's vehicle output in July falls for 10th consecutive month TOKYO - Japan's vehicle production in July fell 8.9 percent from a year earlier to 790,325 units for the 10th consecutive monthly decline, an industry body said Wednesday. The fall followed brisk sales the year before prior to the termination of subsidies for eco-friendly car purchases in September 2010, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said, adding the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami on auto production has declined. ---------- Spending by foreign travelers in Japan sinks 47% in April-June TOKYO - Money spent by foreign visitors during stays in Japan in the April-June quarter plummeted 46.9 percent from a year earlier to an estimated 120.8 billion yen, as the number of travelers halved following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, data released Wednesday by the Japan Tourism Agency showed. The amount spent per person averaged about 111,000 yen, compared with about 104,000 yen in the same period the previous year and some 113,000 yen in the preceding quarter, according to the agency. ---------- N. Korea urges new Japan leader to take action to improve ties PYONGYANG - A North Korean official in charge of Japanese affairs on Wednesday urged Japan's incoming Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to take action to improve bilateral relations, which he described as being at the "worst" level given Japan's sanctions on the country. "If a new Noda government moves toward improvement (of ties), we are ready to move accordingly," Kim Chol Ho, vice director of the Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department, said in an interview with Kyodo News and three other Japanese news organizations in Pyongyang. ---------- Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi agree on small LCD business merger TOKYO - Sony Corp., Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. have agreed to integrate their businesses on small and medium-sized liquid crystal display panels for smartphones and tablet computers, and aim to complete the merger by next spring, the companies said Wednesday. The major electronics makers said the move is prompted by the need to boost their competitive edge amid growing demand for LCD panels, and in the face of intense competition from South Korean and Taiwanese manufacturers. ---------- Sumitomo group firms to bolster forged crankshaft output in India TOKYO - Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. and Sumitomo Corp. said Wednesday they will expand production facilities for forged crankshafts for automobile engines to meet increasing demand in India. Output capacity at SMI Amtek Crankshaft Pvt. Ltd., their joint venture with Amtek Auto Ltd. in New Delhi, will be bolstered to 2.2 million units a year from the current 800,000 units, the two firms said. ---------- China tightens security ahead of trade fair in restive Xinjiang HONG KONG - Airports across China have tightened security control ahead of a trade fair starting Thursday in the restive northwest region of Xinjiang, which has seen violent ethnic riots and attacks by Uygur Muslim separatists, a Hong Kong-based human rights watchdog said Wednesday. The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said airport security has been raised at 20 airports including those in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, to the same level of that during the 2008 Olympic Games, to ensure safety in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where the first China-Eurasia Expo will be held through Monday. ---------- Sekisui Chemical to scrap water pipe project in Libya TOKYO - Sekisui Chemical Co. said Wednesday it will pull the plug on a project to produce water pipes in Libya due to the violent upheaval there. Sekisui decided to cancel the project because the unrest is likely to continue even after the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi's dictatorship, the company told a meeting of investors and analysts. ---------- Japan sold 4.51 tril. yen in Aug. forex intervention TOKYO - Japan's monetary authorities sold 4.51 trillion yen in the foreign exchange market in August to stem the sharp rise of the Japanese currency against the U.S. dollar and other major currencies, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. The amount, if expended on just one day, would be the biggest on record. The ministry did not reveal how many times it and the Bank of Japan stepped into the currency market between July 28 and Aug. 29, and such detailed information will be announced in November. ---------- Morinaga Milk to raise butter price due to Fukushima nuclear accident TOKYO - Morinaga Milk Industry Co. said Wednesday it will raise the retail price of home-use butter due to the higher cost of milk as a result of curtailed shipments in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster. Meiji Co. and Megmilk Snow Brand Co. also have decided to raise the prices of their household butter products. ---------- Iwate becomes 1st of 3 hard-hit prefectures to close all shelters TOKYO - The four remaining shelters in Iwate Prefecture were closed Wednesday, making it the first of the three prefectures hardest hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami to end operation of all public shelters. As of Tuesday afternoon, 17 people were staying at the shelters, all located in the town of Yamada. At the peak on March 13, 54,429 evacuees took shelter in Iwate, with a maximum of 399 shelters open on March 19 after the disaster that devastated northeastern Japan. (c) 2011 Kyodo News International, Inc. |