from today's N ikkei

電子部品　ＴＤＫ，欧州最大手を買収　最大２０００億円　アジア勢追撃に対抗　再編呼ぶ公算

A Japanese major electronic component maker TDK Corporation has decided to take over a German company,EPCOS AG,one of the biggest electronic component manufactuers in the Europe. The expected amount of the money invested in this deal is believed to be 150 billion yen to 200 billion yen, which is the highest ever in the M&A in the electronic device industry.This movement is aimed at enhancing the company's competitiveness in the global market by spreading its business domain from the current one centering on the home-use appliances to that including the business sectors through the M&A.At present,Japanese makers including TDK have been playing a leading role, but now are facing Asian rivals' efforts to try to catch up with them and declining of the profitability in the business due to over-heated competition.In these circumstances, the big M&A deal by TDK this time has a possibility that would spur the industry's worldwide alignment from now on.

from today's Nikkei

WTO閣僚会合決裂　緊急輸入制限　米印が対立　ドーハ・ラウンンド　年内の最終合意　困難

The ministerial meeting for WTO having negoatiated in Geneva for establishing the global standards for free trades has failed to reach an agreement mainly because the United States and India have continued to have a contradictory stance for the safeguard clause and have not compromised with each other.Then many say it is very difficult that the multilateral trade talks this time,called "Doha Round," are able to get a final agreement within the year.

from today's N ikkei

有機ＥＬテレビ　松下、40型級を商品化　11年にも　姫路工場で量産　ソニー・韓国勢に先手

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd. has decided to produce wide-screen electro luminescence television sets on a commercial basis.Specifically, it invests tens of billions of yen to build a trial assembly line in spring 2009 at its Himeji,Hyoogo Prefecture factory in order to establish the technology for mass-producing the TV sets. And it plans to start selling the 40-type level wide-screen TV sets.Electro luminescence is regarded as superior technology in quality to liquid crystal and plasma,and then is expected to be the most promising technology for the next generation television sets.This movement of Matsushita is aimed at forestalling Sony and South Korean rivals in this field.

from today's Nikkei

原材料高騰　転嫁しやすく　神鋼や三菱化学　価格決定見直し　製品価格上昇　需要冷え込む恐れも

Against the background of recent surging prices of materials,in a variety of business fields ,the movement that they introduce the system which enables to make it easier to transfer material price hikes to their product prices, has been spreading.Specifically, Kobe Steel,Ltd. is going to adopt "price fluctuation adjustment surcharge system" ,in which a special steel' price will be related to the prices of some of the materials.Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation also will do the same.There is a merit in this movement such as enhancement of transparency of material costs,especially from the manufacturing parties' side, but at the same time, there is a concern that final consumer demand will decline through the retail price hikes.

from today's Nikkei

資源国との租税条約加速　政府　サウジ・オマーンと交渉　日本企業進出後押し　対日投資呼び込み

The government now has a policy that it should promote having tax treaty with a country which is rich in resources.Specifically,following the agreements reached in June both with Kazakstan rich in uranium and Brunei exporting crude oil,it is now unofficially under the way for reaching an agreement with Saudi Arabia,which is the world's largest oil-producing country.The same is being carried out with Oman.When a tax treaty is reached between the Japanese government and a foreign country's government, a Japanes firm is not obliged to pay the so-called "double taxes",that is,both at home and at the foreign country.Through these measures, the government intends to bolster domestic companies' activities abroad and also to urge resources-rich country's funds to invest in Japan.