By Kozo Kiyota

The influence of multinational firms in Japanese trade.

Multinational firms directly employ nearly 40 percent of workers and have approximately 94 percent share of Japanese exports.

In their latest bid to gain consumers’ attention, Dentsu, Fujitsu, and Advanced Communications have announced that they have developed a new distribution model for Internet advertising using a “license code system.”

Toyota has developed the world’s first rear window curtain-shield air bag to protect back seat passengers in the event of a rear-end collision. The airbags are hidden in the top lining of the rear window, inflating in the shape of a curtain that becomes a protective barrier between the passenger’s head and the window.

The future is here -- Battery stations that recharge electric cars were installed in Tokyo last month... -- A new spin on the same old ... -- Convenience store chain FamilyMart opened the first in a line of new “eco-friendly” stores in Chiba, with plans to build about 1,000 more nation-wide within the next five years... -- Geeks rule and bankers drool? -- According to calculations by the Financial Times, employees at Nintendo earn more per head than those at investment banking mammoth Goldman Sachs... -- Puts hair on their chests -- Asahi Breweries Ltd. Announced that beginning in October, they will start selling Asahi Ginger Draft, a low-malt beer containing ginger extract with a lower carbon content and only 4 percent alcohol... -- Post office goes postal -- Japan Post began a project to renew and make the present post offices more efficient by renting out spaces to florists, department stores, and convenient stores... -- It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s better than nothing. -- Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co, responding to the Bank of Japan’s decision to let the US Federal Reserve supply dollars in Japan to ease financial tensions after the fall of Lehman Brothers on September 15... -- IPO Report -- There were seven completed or forecast IPOs for the first half of September and the latter part of August...

Compiled by Ken Worsley -- Hard information on selected economic sectors and industries -- Automotive -- Consumer Electronics -- Mobile Telephony

By Ken Worsley -- Hard industry facts -- Retail -- Mobile Phones -- Food and Fast Food -- Department Stores

By Ken Worsley -- Hard industry facts -- Mobile Telephony-- Corporate Bankruptcies -- Real Estate -- Food and Supermarkets

By Ken Worsley -- Hard industry facts -- The Environment -- Labor and Wages -- Household Budgets and Finance

By Sarah Noorbakhsh -- Analysis on retail venture QB House: QB House -- A trip to the barbershop that was inundated with loads of extra services and carried a price tag to match was the original motivation for Kuniyoshi Konishi, founder of QB Net Co Ltd, to develop the wildly successful QB House. This no-frills bare-bones barber service offers a 10-minute haircut for ¥1000, with a brand image marked by its ubiquitous presence in shopping malls and train stations across the nation.

by Ken Worsley, Sarah Noorbakhsh, Peter Harris -- Measure For Measure -- Hard information about selected industries, a corporate profile of a major Japanese listed company, and a column on a selected player from the retail industry. -- Retail Focus -- Don Quijote, a chain of one-stop discount shops that offers more than just no-frills low prices, established in Tokyo in 1980. The company listed on the second section of the Tokyo stock exchange in 1998 followed by a listing in the first section in 2000.