from October 17 Nikkei

訪問介護　定額で２４時間　厚労省検討　利用者の負担増抑制　事業者の収入も安定

According to sources familiar with the matter,the Ministry of Health,Labor and Welfare has started discussing how to introduce the visiting nurse service on a around-the-clock basis for a fixed charge in its fiscal 2012 revision of the current nursing care insurance system.

Under the ministry's idea, people can receieve multiple services to the level of some quantity at their home when they pay a fixed amount of money of charge.Under the cuurent ssystem, people have to shoulder the cost as much as they receive the service,which means there is a possibility the cost increases very much. In the new policy the ministry aims at preventing people from shouldering the cost no matter how high it is.

It is thought that the new scheme would be benificial for the nursing care service businesses beacuse it will contribute to their making their business revenues more stable.

from October 18 Nikkei

日立、先端電池で提携　バッテリー世界最大手と　車・送電網むけ　規模のメリット追求

It is learned that Hitach,Ltd. will have an alliance with US Johnson Controls,Ltd., one of the world's largest automobile battery makers, in the advanced battery technology and its business,like those of the lithium battery.

Specifically,they will jointly build a new plant for lithium batteries installed in vehicles, as well as do R&D and marketing activities in a concerted way.This kind of state-of-the-art battery is thought to be very useful in the future in constructing social infrastructure like "smart grid," the next generation's power-transmitting network.

It is believed that Hitachi will seek the initiative in high technology of batteries through pursuing the scale merit by a deal with Johnson Contorls,which has strength in selling the products.