TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Japan’s trade minister
threatened on Monday to block a plan to rescue Tokyo Electric
Power Co with a $13 billion injection of public funds unless the
government gets more say in running the struggling operator of
the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant.

The Fukushima plant was wrecked by a quake and tsunami last
March, triggering the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years
and swamping the firm with huge clean-up, compensation and
decommissioning costs, as well as a big fossil fuel bill.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s trade minister approved nearly $9 billion in additional support for Tokyo Electric Power Co to help compensate victims of the Fukushima nuclear crisis on Monday, but said the government would not go ahead with a plan to inject tax money into utility unless it got adequate management say.

The utility’s Fukushima plant was wrecked by a quake and tsunami last March, triggering the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years and swamping the firm with huge cleanup, compensation and decommissioning costs as well as a big fossil fuel bill.

TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Japan’s trade minister
approved nearly $9 billion in additional support for
Tokyo Electric Power Co to help compensate victims of
the Fukushima nuclear crisis on Monday, but said the government
would not go ahead with a plan to inject tax money into utility
unless it got adequate management say.

The utility’s Fukushima plant was wrecked by a quake and
tsunami last March, triggering the world’s worst nuclear crisis
in 25 years and swamping the firm with huge cleanup,
compensation and decommissioning costs as well as a big fossil
fuel bill.

TOKYO, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Japan’s Panasonic Corp warned
of a record annual $10.2 billion net loss, joining beleaguered
rivals Sony and Sharp in a sea of red ink as they struggle to
fix their broken TV businesses and show they have not lost their
way.

Panasonic’s forecast loss of 780 billion yen
($10.24 billion) for the year to March dwarfed expectations, and
is almost all due to restructuring charges and writedowns for
its Sanyo Electric unit.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Ailing Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp warned it was heading for a bigger-than-expected $2.9 billion annual loss, presenting a daunting task for incoming CEO Kazoo Hiram, who vowed to move quickly to turn things around.

Overtaken by more innovative rivals such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics over the past decade, Sony posted a $2.1 billion net loss for October-December, normally a strong quarter boosted by year-end holiday sales, as it battled a strong yen, flooding in Thailand that ruptured supply chains, and a weak economy.

TOKYO, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Japan’s ailing electronics
giant, Sony Corp, warned investors on Thursday it was
heading for a worse-than-expected $2.9 billion annual loss,
revealing the daunting task ahead for its incoming chief
executive, Kazuo Hirai.

The company, overtaken by more innovative rivals such as
Apple and Samsung over the past decade, gave the forecast in its
third-quarter results, surprising a market that had been
expecting a full-year loss of barely half that amount.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s ailing electronics giant, Sony Corp, warned investors on Thursday it was heading for a worse-than-expected $2.9 billion annual loss, revealing the daunting task ahead for its incoming chief executive, Kazuo Hirai.

The company, overtaken by more innovative rivals such as Apple and Samsung over the past decade, gave the forecast in its third-quarter results, surprising a market that had been expecting a full-year loss of barely half that amount.

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Sony Corp named Vice
President Kazuo Hirai as president and CEO, replacing Howard
Stringer who will step down from day-to-day management in a
long-expected change for a company struggling to regain its
driving force in consumer electronics.

Stringer will remain chairman of the company until June,
when he will become chairman of the board of directors, a
separate post that will not be directly involved in company
management, Sony spokeswoman Mami Imada said. The are no plans
to replace him in the chairman’s role, she added.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese government ministers called on Tuesday on troubled Tokyo Electric Power to justify a decision to raise the corporate electricity rate saying the increase could hurt the economy.

The operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant this month announced an average 17 percent rate increase for businesses from April but the government, which plans to effectively nationalise the utility, wants Tepco to scale back the planned rise later in the year, the Asahi newspaper said.

TOKYO, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Japanese trade minister
Yukio Edano on Tuesday urged troubled Tokyo Electric Power
to disclose the basis for its planned electricity rate
hike, expressing ire at the utility’s unilateral decision to
raise corporate power fees.

The operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant this
month announced an average 17 percent rate hike for businesses
from April but the government, which plans to effectively
nationalise the utility, wants Tepco to scale back the planned
rate hike in the autumn, the Asahi newspaper said.