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Kyodo news summary -5-
[July 31, 2014]

Kyodo news summary -5-


(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ---------- Welfare center received warning in June about teen held for murder SASEBO, Japan - Concerns about the behavior of a 16-year-old girl arrested Sunday in southwestern Japan for allegedly killing and partially dismembering a classmate were reported to a child welfare center last month, sources close to the Nagasaki prefectural government said Thursday.



The sources said a caller claimed the high school student had beaten her father and was dissecting small animals, but the matter could not be followed up because the girl's name was withheld.

---------- Sony group net profit up 8.6-fold to 26.81 bil. yen. in April-June TOKYO - Sony Corp. said Thursday its group net profit in the April to June quarter rose nearly 8.6-fold to 26.81 billion yen due to strong sales of its gaming console and the yen's depreciation.


The electronics company's consolidated operating profit surged 96.7 percent to 69.81 billion yen on sales of 1.81 trillion yen, up 5.8 percent on year.

---------- Revamp efforts keep generating profit for Panasonic TOKYO - Panasonic Corp. kept logging an operating profit growth in the April-June quarter, helped by its restructuring efforts to shift its focus to industrial markets from less profitable consumer products.

The Japanese electronics conglomerate said its group operating profit rose 28.2 percent to 82.29 billion yen in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 from a year earlier, driven by industrial products such as automotive parts and housing-related fixtures.

---------- Japan, Chile to discuss cooperation in energy, TPP SANTIAGO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Thursday to discuss their cooperation over energy development and on seeking an early conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact.

Abe is expected to pledge support for the Chilean mining industry to secure stable supplies, as around 48 percent of Japan's copper imports comes from Chile, a major producer of the natural resource.

---------- Japanese men's life expectancy tops 80 for 1st time TOKYO - The average life expectancy of Japanese men rose to 80.21 years in 2013, exceeding 80 for the first time, while Japanese women retained the world's longest life expectancy for two straight years, at 86.61, welfare ministry data showed Thursday.

The figures for last year represent a record for both men and women, with a gain of 0.27 from 2012 for men and a rise of 0.20 for women. The difference between men and women narrowed by 0.07 to 6.40 years, compared with 2012.

---------- Mazda's net profit jumps to record 48 bil. yen in April-June TOKYO - Mazda Motor Corp. said Thursday its net profit in the April-June period surged nearly ninefold from a year earlier to a record 48.89 billion yen, propelled by strong sales overseas.

Robust sales in North America, Europe and China offset weaker sales in Japan, according to the company. The net profit increased from 5.46 billion yen a year earlier.

---------- TEPCO logs 1st pretax profit in 4 yrs for April-June qtr.

TOKYO - Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Thursday it turned to the black on a group pretax basis in the April-June quarter for the first time in the four years since the 2011 nuclear crisis at its Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

For the three-month period, TEPCO, which is effectively under state control, reported a consolidated pretax profit of 52.51 billion yen, compared with a loss of 29.49 billion yen a year earlier, due to cost-cutting efforts and an electricity bill hike.

---------- Benesse books 26 bil. yen in special loss over customer data leak TOKYO - Benesse Holdings Inc. said Thursday it booked 26 billion yen as a special loss for the April-June quarter due to costs involving a massive customer data leak from its main subsidiary Benesse Corp.

It also withdrew its earnings forecast for the year to March 2015 for the reason that it cannot predict how the scandal will affect the subsidiary known as Japan's leading correspondence education service provider for children.

(c) 2014 Kyodo News

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