from Wednesday's Nikkei

OKI 半導体　ロームに売却　年内に１０００億円規模　業界再編が再始動　
It is learned that Oki Electric Industry Co.,Ltd. has entered its final negotiation satge in the direction of selling out its semiconductor business sector to Rohm Co.,Ltd.The deal would be carried out within the year,with the expected value of the deal reaching the 100 billion yen level.Regarding the M&A in the domestic semiconductor business field, this has been the first time since 2003 when Hitachi,Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Coprporation integrated their system large scale integrated circuit(LSI) business.As competition for survival in the semiconductor business,requiring a large scale investment,has been getting more and more sivere,the movement of the industry realignment seems to have started again.

from Monday's Nikkei

配当重視や自社株買い　株主配当、利益の５割　６期連続増益資金潤沢　資本効率を追求　昨年度、上場企業

Listed companies are now increasing the distribution of their profits to their shareholders.The total allocation of their profits to the shareholders,consisting of dividends and share buy backs,recorded an all-time high,at 12 trillion yen,in the 2007 business year, reaching nearly half the total net profits,about 25.2 trillion yen.This is because comapnies have accumulated money abundantly,attaining their sixth consecutive term profit increase,seen on average.

from Tuesday's Nikkei

アフリカ市場　本格開拓　資源高騰でマネー流入　潜在成長見込む　日産初の専用車生産
　三菱重工原発企業に出資へ　

Japanese companies are now full-fledgedly tapping the markets in Africa in their each business field.Specifically,Nissan Motor Co.,Ltd. has decided to manufacture and sell exclusive-to-Africa-type vehicles for the first time as a Japanese auto maker,and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,Ltd. has decide to invest in a nucler power generation company in South Africa.As,in Africa,economic expansion has recently been getting momentum against the backdrop of recent material price hikes,it is expected that demand for social instfrastructures and consumer goods will be expanding.Because the Japanese government also is supprting such their efforts,Japanese compasnies are investing there,regarding the place as a promising potential market next to such developing countries as India.

from yesterday's Nikkei

経済成長戦略　先端技術活用へ基金　海外所得　税制改正し還流　政府が原案　アジア活力取り込む

The outline of the draft of the idea for the Japan's economic growth, which is expected to be released in June, was made clear on Wednesday.According to it,the government intends to establish a state-invested fund,which will integrate the edge-cutting technologies unused from the private sectorsm and promote the commercilization of such technologies.Another idea is the introduction of the tax system by which the Jaoanese companies' income earned at abroad using their high technologies would be more easily returned to Japan.Brushing up the delivery network in the Asian area also is believed to contribute to realization of"The Asian Economic and Environmental Community."They contends that absorbing the energy of Asia's economy is surely leading to Japan's economic growth.

from today's Nikkei

アジアに防災・防疫網　首相提唱　新型インフルエンザに備え　太平洋を「内海」に

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on May 22 made a speech at the evening dinner party of the 14th International Exchange Conference dubbed as " Asia's future," sponsered by The Nihon Keizai Shimbun,and expressed his new diplomatic idea based on the thinking of cooperation of the Asia and The Pacific Ocean's countries and the opening of the regions to the remaining world.Specifically,he advocated "The Damage Prevention and Epidemic Prevention Network in the Asia," for which emergency rescue organizations and laboratories should exercise unified activities, in preparation for large damage and infectious disease spread.Regarding the prevention of the new type of influenza,Japanese government will double the expected stock of anti-virus medicines such as Tamiful in the South-east Asian nations,which is to be prepared by the ODA from Japan,to the one-hundred- million-people stock. Behind the Fukuda's idea, there is a basic philosophy that countries surrounding The Pacific Ocean should and would consider the ocean as the inland sea, as a common natural treasure.