from yesterday's Nikkei

携帯電話のソフト統一　ドコモ向け利便性高く　開発コスト半減　シャープ・パナソニックなど　海外巻き返しへ

Four companies of Sharp Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Fujitsu Limited and NEC Corporation will likely to integrate their key softwares operating animations and musics on the cullar phone handsets.With joint development of the software along with related companies like NTT DoCoMo,Inc.,they will install it to the next generation handsets for NTT DoCoMo, which are expected to be put into market in fiscal 2011.

At present,the cost of development of the next genertion mobile phone handsets is expected to amount to 20 to 30 billion yen per a type. However, the four intend to reduce the cost to half its estimate.

Application softwares of each company will be available on their each handset and there will be also merits for users.

The four far lack behind in the world market, so with this deal they all want to rally against rivals.

from today's Nikkei

原発機器を共同生産　今秋に新会社　海外受注拡大狙う　東芝とIHI まず蒸気タービン部品

According to sources, Toshiba Corporation and IHI Corporation have a plan to manufacture the equipment for nuclear power generation on a joint basis from now on.Establishing a joint venture in the autumn this year, they will, first of all, launch on the joint production of major parts of steam turbines, which are the key components for the nuclear power generation. gradually eExpanding the target items, they will likely,in the end, to virtually integrate their businesses.

The two companies have been in cooperation with each other since the 1960s in the nuclear power business, but the production has been carried out dependently, which has led in the high cost structure for each.With the competitiveness in terms of cost enhanced by joint production scheme,the two intend to increase their receiving orders in the world nuclear power generation market.

from Tuesday's (April 20) Nikkei

利用者保護へ安全網　金融庁　業者を監督対象に　ネットの支払い専用マネー　発行額、７０００億円に拡大　１０年度

According to a data, the market of "Net Money," or server-typed electronic money I would say,which is used exclusively for purchasing goods and services mainly on the Internet, is rapidly expanding now. Against the backdrop of increase of utilization of mail order through the Internet and others, the amount of issuance of such money in fiscal 2010 is expected to exapand to 700 billion ye, 1.5 times that in the previous year.

In these circumstances, the Financial Services Agency is going to establish by this atutumn a system where Net Money-related businesses are included in the surveilance in order to create a safety network for protecting final users.

from April 21 Nikkei

川崎汽船　洋上でＬＮＧ生産　豪州沖、１２００億円投資　中小ガス田開発、可能に

According to sources, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha,Ltd. will launch on the business of producing liquefied natural gas on the sea.Specifically, it will build a LNG base on the sea in the Northwest of Australia and will begin its commercial operation in 2014 for the first time in the world.

The total cost is expected to be 120 billion yen.

Compared with the conventional method, the merit of the production using a sea base lies in the cost reduction to the extent that it will be reduce to up to a third of the present.

Then, exploitation of small and midsize gas fields, which have been difficult to develop, would be possible.

from Thursday's Nikkei

保育所　利用制限を撤廃　施設増をめざし補助拡大　厚労省検討　　専業主婦世帯にも門戸

The Ministry of Health,Labor and Welfare has launched on discussing the revision of the current regulation of nurseries. The direction of the revision is for abolishing the current limited utilization of authorized facilities and allowing all would-be people to utilize them in principle.

Then, after the revison, even the household whose wife is a full-time homemaker can be allowed to utilize such facility.

The ministry also intends to expand the subsidies in the field so as to make such day nurseries increase their numbers.