Apr 2010 Fukuoka Now by Fukuoka Now Ltd.

Fukuoka Now #136 April 2010

Kyushu Headline News

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English language summaries of last month's top Kyushu area news stories. 九州エリアの 1 ヵ月分の英文ニュースの中から選り抜きの話題をピックアップ籾殻壁でエコ住宅

Rice Hulls for Home Insulation Yoshida Juken, a home building company in Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, has developed a method to improve the heat retention and insulating properties of exterior walls by using rice hulls. They’ve applied for a patent for their method, which utilizes material usually disposed of by incineration. The intent is to reduce greenhouse gases by reducing fuel consumption. The company has been working on the idea since January 2009. 福岡市、釜山市、自動車産業の交流促進

Busan & Fukuoka Auto Industry Council The city of Busan, South Korea, formally created the Busan-Fukuoka Automobile Industry Council to promote industry ties between the two regions. It consists of 20 experts from the auto parts industry and academia. The objective is to exchange information, develop technology, and establish a presence in the Japanese market. The Korean efforts will focus on Fukuoka Prefecture as a whole, rather than Fukuoka City alone. 09 年九州自動車生産、100 万台割れ

Auto Production Below One Million The Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade, and Industry released statistics for automobile production in the region in 2009 showing that production fell from the previous year to roughly 856,000 units, a 24.1% drop. It was the first time in four years production failed to reach one million autos. In contrast, Kyushu accounted for 10.8% of all national automobile production, the highest ratio ever. 九州大学、ネパール、研究交流へ協定

Kyushu University and Nepal to Work Together Kyushu University and the government of Nepal signed a memorandum regarding joint research and to exchange information in the biotechnology field. Their research will be based on the Biodiversity Treaty, to which 190 nations are signatories, and Kyushu University thus becomes the first Japanese university to form a research agreement with a foreign government. The objective of the research will be to find ways to protect and utilize Nepal’s biological resources. 電力ほぼ自給の住宅

Home Largely Self-Sufficient in Power Fukuoka City-based Oaks Construction is offering for sale a home it calls the “e-sola”, which is largely self-sufficient in electric power. Techniques and materials that enhance insulation capabilities are used in its construction, and it is equipped with solar

Fukuoka Now #136 April 2010

panels. The company is primarily engaged in the construction of rental condominiums, but as that market is slumping, they decided to enter the home building sector with this model. キャナル経由を決定地下鉄七隈線延伸

Nanakuma Subway Line Extension A special committee of the Fukuoka City Council has decided on the route for the extension of the Nanakuma Line running from Tenjin Minami to Hashimoto on the cityoperated subway system. The route will run from the Tenjin Minami Station through Canal City Hakata to the JR Hakata Station. The route was chosen because it was the cheapest, was projected to make a profit after six years, and would be the most cost effective. The committee presented its report to City Council in late February. 博多大丸、大幅リストラ

complex in the Hibikinada district of Kitakyushu. It will rent 250,000 square meters of ground, erect two 180,000-kiloliter LNG tanks, and use them for storing LNG shipped from overseas. The company will invest about 70 billion yen in the project, for which construction will begin in June and is scheduled to be finished in November 2014. 福岡パルコに 154 店舗

154 Shops in Fukuoka Parco Tokyo-based Parco, has opened a commercial complex in Fukuoka City’s Tenjin district. Including a directly operated outlet that sells its own brands, Parco has 154 different shops. About 30% sell clothing, and others sell sundries, beauty products, and food products. Of the 154 total, 104 are new to Fukuoka. 西シ銀、学生向けローン

Hakata Daimaru to Downsize The Fukuoka City-based Hakata Daimaru department store company announced a major downsizing of its workforce. Over the next three years starting in August, it will layoff or eliminate 248 employees, bringing their employee total to a number equivalent to three-fourths the workforce in August 2007. The Shimonoseki Daimaru in Yamaguchi Prefecture will also shed 105 employees.

Nishi-Nippon City Bank to Offer Student Loans Fukuoka City-based Nishi-Nippon City Bank became the first bank in the country to offer student loans when it introduced a special program on the 22nd of February for those aged 18-30 to help pay tuition and living expenses. One of the requirements is that a parent cosign the loan. The interest rate will be fixed at 2.0% for students still in school, but after graduation that will rise to about 4.8%. Students can borrow up to one million yen.

宮崎アンテナショップを天神に開設

太平洋セメント、佐伯など生産中止

Miyazaki to Open Antenna Shop Miyazaki Prefecture announced plans to open an antenna shop in the Tenjin district of Fukuoka City in late April. It will be the prefecture’s fourth shop in the country, after Tokyo, Osaka, and Miyazaki City. The shop will offer about 130 different products, focusing mainly on daily consumables. One will be a free range chicken barbecue pack.

Taiheiyo Cement to Suspend Production Taiheiyo Cement, the country’s largest cement manufacturer, announced it will suspend production at three plants, including one at Saiki, Oita Prefecture, until September. It’s the first time the company has taken this step since it liquidated a subsidiary in March 2004. The company says the prolonged economic downturn has resulted in stagnant cement demand.

九州新幹線、沿線の広告物、原則禁止

九州 5 百貨店、共通企画を拡大

Kumamoto Bans Ads on Shinkansen Route Kumamoto City and Kumamoto Prefecture have announced a policy of implementing a general ban on billboard advertising along the route of the Kyushu Shinkansen, on which full service is slated to begin next year. The ban came into effect in March. The governments want to preserve the natural scenery. It is uncommon in Japan for prohibitions of outdoor advertising along Shinkansen routes to take effect a year in advance.

Dept. Stores Expand Common Product Planning Five leading Kyushu department stores— Fukuoka City’s Hakata Daimaru, Kitakyushu’ s Izutsuya, Kumamoto City’s Tsuruya, Oita City’s Tokiwa, and Kagoshima City’ s Yamagataya—plan to expand the joint development of products they began in the fall of 2009 with a line of original men’ s clothing. They started sales of men’s suits for a limited period in March, and revived a brand unused for 10 years. They also plan to conduct campaigns together. The objective is to boost flagging production.

北九州響灘地区に、西部ガスが新 LNG 基地

LNG Complex in Kitakyushu’s Hibikinada Fukuoka City-based Saibu Gas Co. Ltd. formally announced it would build a liquid natural gas

九州ニュース

日産車体九州、工場で式典

ヤフードーム大型ビジョン 2 基新設

Nissan Shatai Kyushu Plant Starts Operation Nissan President Carlos Ghosn, local government leaders, and 700 other guests attended the ceremony marking the opening of the Nissan Shatai Kyushu plant in Fukuoka Prefecture. President Ghosn said the plant, which makes auto bodies, was an important one for the Nissan group because it incorporates new production systems. He reaffirmed that Kyushu was an important part of the company’s global manufacturing strategy, and that he intended to increase production here in the future.

Yahoo! Dome Gets Two Big Screens In advance of the start of exhibition season for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks on the 26th, the two new Hawksvision screens installed in the Yahoo Dome, their home park, were shown to reporters. There is one new screen each in the left and right field stands, measuring 5.7 meters high by 33 meters wide. Combined with the existing screen in center field, their viewing surface is 905.2 square meters. This is the largest viewing surface in the world, surpassing the total of the new Yankee Stadium in New York City.

大分パルコ来年閉店

Italian Chamber opens Fukuoka Office The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan held a party to celebrate the opening of their office in Fukuoka City, their first outside of Tokyo. The office began operating in January to further business ties with the region. They represent about 160 member companies in this country.

Oita Parco to Close Next Year The major Japanese merchandiser Parco announced it would close its first Kyushu store in Oita City at the end of February next year. The reason cited was poor sales figures. The company opened a store in the Tenjin district of Fukuoka City on March 19th. They plan to pursue their Kyushu strategy with the Fukuoka City store and their Kumamoto City store.

在日イタリア商議所、福岡事務室開設

News source: With permission from the morning editions of the Nishinippon Newspaper.

Fukuoka Now #136 April 2010