from today's Nikkei

イラン原油　輸入滞る恐れ　ＥＵ制裁、再保険認めず　政府、適用除外を要請

According to sources familiar with the matter, there has occured a possibility that crude oil import from Iran to Japan will be delayed, because Japanese indemnity insurance companies will have difficulty in making a reassuarence of the import deal of crude oil by a Japanes firm with an European insurance company due to the EU sanctions against Iran. Under the EU sanctions all insurance companies in its region are banned to make reassurance of Iran-related deals.

Considering the matter very serious, the Japanese government has asked EU exemption of such kind of sanction for Japan. But it is not clear how the situation is going.

from the March 17 Nikkei

丸紅、豪で鉄鉱山開発　　韓国ポスコと　　事業費８４００億円　　資源メジャーに対抗

It is learned that Marubeni Corporation will take part in the iron ore mine exploitation project in Australia.It will buy 12.5 perecent of the intersts of a iron ore mine from an Australaian resource company. Acoording to its plan, Marubeni will start production there in 2014, with about 840 invested and on a basis of joint venture with South Korean POSCO and others. With this deal, Marubeni is ceratin to secure more than 10 million tons of iron ore, or about 10 percent of Japan's imports.

Marubeni's intention is to secure a stable supply of iron ore, pushing ahead with the project with a Japan-South Korea alliance, while international resource majors are having more and more share of supply of iron ore from them.

from the March 19 Nikkei

大卒採用２．１％増　　製造業は伸び鈍化　　厳選姿勢強く計画割れも

According to the data comipled by the Nikkei Shimbun on the employment schedules by Japanese companies of college or university graduates in the spring season next year, the number of their employment is up 12.1 percent, compared with that in the spring of this year, marking the second consecutive two-digit increase over the previos year. Sentiment of securing an incresed number of people is conspicuous among companies, especially among those in the non-manufacturing industries intending to expand their businesses overseas. However, it is noted that the increse rate in the manufacturing industries will decline next year. In the spring this year, too, real number of their employment has bacome smaller than their initial planned one, reflecting their attitudes of hiring really good freshmen.