Japan Causes Toshiba Tension

 

 

Japan’s crisis has led to a downturn in Toshiba investment.  According to one of the corporation’s American partners (NRG Energy), there will be no additional investment in a Texas nuclear power project, due to the “Japanese nuclear plant” crisis.  There was the intention of developing a further two reactors near Houston but now David Crane, the company’s president has said that the recent crisis created “multiple uncertainties around new nuclear development in the United States which have had the effect of dramatically reducing the probability [of constructing reactors in the South Texas Project] in a timely fashion.”

US Impacted by Japan’s Crisis

This announcement came in reaction to the Japanese crisis.  NRG – as a result of what happened in the Asian region – “will not [be] invest[ing] additional capital in the STP development effort.”  It has been said that this indicates that the Japanese crisis “has directly affected the US nuclear power industry.”  It remains unclear as to whether Toshiba will move forward with its project with other partners.

New Toshiba Projects

But despite its reservations vis-à-vis the Japanese crisis, Toshiba is still forging ahead with other new and exciting projects.  It is due to “launch its first tablet computer” in a couple of months and, according to company’s digital products and services unit president Masaaki Oosumi, “attempt to gain a 10 percent share of the global tablet market by 2013.”  It is an impressive PC tablet, based on Android’s 3.0 operating system, priced at approximately ¥60,000 (US$730) in Japan.

 

Charity Begins at Home for Toshiba

 

Charity Begins at Home for Toshiba

Hello Tosh; Gotta Toshiba?

Perhaps it was before your time but Toshiba really nailed it with that 1984 advertising campaign.   It’s funny because way back then it was all about the stereo….how far things have come.  Today Toshiba is still in the news, forever the helpful.  Along with Hitachi, the company had sent “hundreds of staff to provide support at Japan’s stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and to carry out checks at the neighboring Daini plant.”  Clearly for Toshiba, charity begins at home.

<h3>Hitachi and Toshiba Make Waves After Quake</h3>

Following the earthquake and tsunami both Toshiba and Hitachi supplied the Daiichi plant with reactors.  Indeed, a 100-man team was sent to the two Fukushima plants from Toshiba and Hitachi sent 120 –man team to the Daiichi plant.  This is in addition to other mega-assistance both companies are sending.

<h3>Japanese Markets Continue to Soar</h3>

Despite everything that’s been going on, Tokyo Electric Power Co., rose 16 percent with Toshiba Corp. increasing 12 percent.  In addition, an additional 11 percent was gained by JX Holdings Inc. with Nippon Steel Corp., gaining a further 7.5 percent.

<h3>Improving Japanese Stock Market</h3>

The Japanese stock market is improving, with trade figures for today increasing, in the anticipation that the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant is being contained.  As well, the Bank of Japan is not showing any signs of pulling out of its emergency fund provision to “soothe the jittery markets” which also “boosted sentiment,” at around yen 2 trillion into the short-term money market.

The Japanese are clearly banding together.  There is major support from the country’s successful companies and the central bank.  No doubt all this backing will lead to a smooth recovery from Japan’s recent disaster.