from yesterday's Nikkei

新日鉄　太陽電池素材（多結晶シリコン）に参入　１０年にも新工場　新製法、コスト半減　JFE、年度以内にも量産体制
Nippon Steel Corporation will start to mass-produce multi-crystal silicon, which is a key material for solar batteries,whose demand has been, and would be, increasing. According to a plan, it will build a new pant in 2010, and also new method of the mass production will be developed and put into practice for cutting the costs by up to 50 %. JFE Steel Corporation also begins to mass-produce the multi-crystal silicon within the year.

from today's Nikkei

海外依存一段と上昇　上場企業前期　為替影響大きく　営業利益3割国外から
It is learned that according to a survey conducted by The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, dependence of Japanes companies on foreign markets has further increased in terms of their earnings structure.The survey was about the business reports of companies ending their business terms at the end of march of this year,2007.According to the data of the suevey, their combined operating profits came to (be) over 5.7 trillion yen,up 20 % from the previous period,which was a record high.And the ratio of the profits coming from overseas markets to the total combined operating profits, on a full-year basis, for the first time, exceeded the 30% level.
Regarding this business term, when we look at the first half of it,it is abvious that exchange rate changes have been key factotrs deciding business performances among many companies, and such would be the situation for the time being.