NEC Electronics' semiconductor orders will increase "several percent" next quarter, helped by demand for chips used in cars and liquid- crystal displays, President Junshi Yamaguchi said.

Japan has passed the worst of its current slump and is on course for growth in its next fiscal year, but the recovery of the world's second-largest economy could yet prove vulnerable, Kaoru Yosano, finance minister, has warned. The comment came just before a survey showed that business confidence had risen for the first time in two and a half years.

The slump in Japan's exports showed little sign of relenting in May, with auto exports to the US down more than half, adding to doubts about a quick recovery from the global recession.

Specialty glass and plastic manufacturer Romag has developed the PowerPark, a carport with a photovoltaic roof that harnesses solar energy as a power source for plug-in cars.

Fairchild Semiconductor International recently announced it will close a wafer fabrication plant and eliminate some manufacturing at a second site to save up to US$25 million annually, as part of the power-chip maker's ongoing cost-reduction in response to slumping demand.

With revenues falling by as much as 50% in some electronics sectors and with entire markets undergoing fundamental changes, the old ways of doing business are not enough to thwart this downturn.

South Korea's exports fell by more than 15% for a second straight month in December, adding to signs the economy is headed for its first recession since 1998. President Lee Myung Bak said South Korea will run an "economy-emergency government" this year to fight the worst economic crisis since its 1997 $57 billion bailout by the IMF.

STMicroelectronics NV, Europe's largest semiconductor maker, plans to shut its plants in Italy over the Christmas period, affecting about 8,000 workers, as demand slides amid a deteriorating economy and an industry glut.

In a move that could give a welcome, if short-lived, boost to consumer electronics makers and retailers, consumers up and down the West Coast are snapping up headsets that let them talk on cell phones while driving –and stay in compliance with a law that took effect in California and Washington state on July 1. The law, which stipulates penalties for driving while talking on a handheld cell phone, is a boon for Bluetooth wireless connectivity.