Japan enjoyed its biggest on-year increase in exports in almost 30 years last month. The value of exports rose 40.9% in January 2010 from a year earlier, the fastest pace since February 1980.

Toshiba will spend 800 billion yen (US$8.9 billion) to build a new microchip plant, reviving plans that it had put on hold amid sluggish sales, according to the Nikkei business daily. It may start construction of the new factory for NAND flash memory chips as early as this summer, aiming to begin operations in spring 2011.

Sharp's solar business is on track to turn its first annual profit as the company looks to expand production and forge partnerships with corporations worldwide to expand the use of solar power generation.

Toshiba has announced that Toshiba LSI Package Solutions will transfer its memory backend function from Fukuoka to Yokkaichi, Mie prefecture, in order to be closer to Toshiba's main memory production facility, Yokkaichi Operations. The move will take place by November.

Japan's exports grew for the first time in 15 months in December 2009, according to the finance ministry. Its exports to China expanded 42.8% to 1.1 trillion yen in the month.

"China's exports largely consist of low-value everyday goods like cheap electrical appliances and textiles - but that's a long way from where it wants to be..."

Major South Korean exporters all got a nice boost from the weakness of the country's currency in the past two years. But with the Korean won gaining strength, will Korean exporters begin to lose some of the market share they accumulated in the past year?

"We have seen this in Japan in the 1980's. I certainly hope that China is not going to repeat the mistakes that Japan made 20-30 years ago," said Dong Tao, chief Asia economist of Credit Suisse.

Japanese exports in November 2009 fell at the slowest pace in more than a year on strong Asian demand, easing concern about the strength of the country's economic recovery.

Panasonic, which runs a hybrid and electric car battery joint venture with Toyota, has secured a controlling stake in rechargeable battery maker Sanyo.

Elpida Memory may post its first annual operating profit in three years as growth in demand outpaces industry production, according to company CEO Yukio Sakamoto.

Japan's economy in third-quarter 2009 grew sharply less than initial estimates as cautious companies decided to save, not spend.

Japan's central bank has said it was watching currency movements "with great concern" as the yen traded at a 14-year-high against the dollar. The surging yen could set back a recovery from Japan's worst post-war recession because it makes the country's exports less competitive.

Today's announcement will impact approximately 220 employees in Japan. Nokia last week announced it plans to reduce some of its R&D activities in Finland and Denmark.

Figures released by the Japanese government show that the country's economy has grown for a second successive quarter.

The net loss in the 12 months ending March 31, 2010 will probably be 55 billion yen (US$607 million), wider than the 9 billion yen projected earlier, according to NEC Electronics on October 28.

The International Monetary Fund has warned Asian nations not to withdraw their stimulus spending too soon.

Japan's exports fell by the smallest margin in 10 months in September, showing a deep slump in the world's second-largest economy may be easing.

The current industry shortage of LCD panels could continue through the middle of next year, the head of a unit at Japan's Sharp said, in a potential move to shore up investor confidence in panel makers.

Japan's Toshiba said on Thursday it has taken over Fujitsu's loss-making hard drive business as it seeks to eke out growth in notebook PC hard drives in a market dominated by bigger rivals.

Toshiba plans to relocate as many as 700 engineers by October to help cut semiconductor-research spending.

With the global economy recovering and chip demand picking up in the seasonally strong second half of the year, many analysts now forecast that Japan's chip suppliers started making money as early as the current fiscal second quarter ending Sept. 30.

Japan's export recovery slowed in August, pointing to slower growth in production and fuelling concern that the economy may lose momentum as the impact of stimulus spending around the world fades.

The world's leading semiconductor manufacturers plan to discuss ways to prevent overproduction and enforce fair competition at an industry-wide annual meeting on Jeju Island, according to the South Korean government.

Yukio Hatoyama on September 16 took office as prime minister and named a cabinet, promising to bring change to the country mired in stagnation after a half-century of virtually uninterrupted, one-party rule.

Nakaya Microdevices, Amkor Technology and Toshiba have jointly announced the start of their joint venture will be postponed. The operation was initially scheduled to begin on October 1.

The South Korean won against the dollar strengthened to a one-month high of 1220.50 in early Asian deals on September 11. On the upside, 1218.3 is seen as the next target level for the Korean currency.

Recent signs that recession has ended in some major economies, including China's major trading partner Japan, suggest that exports may pick up again.

A new super central processing unit (CPU), jointly developed by Japan's big chipmakers and funded by the Tokyo government, is coming up to challenge Intel.

Japan's Sumco, the world's No.2 maker of silicon wafers used to make chips, said it tumbled to a first-half loss on weaker wafer demand from chipmakers.

Mitsubishi Electric and industrial design company IHI are now teaming up in the race to develop new technology within four years that can beam electricity back to Earth without the use of cables.

Elpida will issue 30 billion yen worth of preferred shares, which carry no voting rights, for purchase by the Development Bank of Japan.

Japan's unemployment rate rose to a record 5.7% in July in figures released just days before a general election.