Sharp Corp. is in talks with overseas manufacturers to sell its flagship solar battery factory in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, and plans to off-load some of its prime property in the Tokyo metropolitan area to bring in much-needed revenue, according to sources.
Sharp's share price has been on a downward slide recently and briefly fell as low as 164 yen on the Tokyo stock market Wednesday, down 29 yen, or about 15 percent, from Tuesday's closing price. It hopes to shore up its financial conditions by selling its properties and stop the fall in its stock price.
The struggling electronics giant's Sakai factory manufactures thin-film solar cells for mega-solar power plants.
Saitama and Okayama prefectural police last week arrested the manager of an online porn DVD operation that specialized in films featuring children. (Tokyo Reporter)
A 24-year-old woman was in a serious condition Friday after being stabbed by a man whom she reported to police for stalking her in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. (Japan Today )
China's television regulator has ordered a crackdown on dramas about the country's battles with Japan during and before World War Two and demanded they be more serious, state media said on Friday, following viewer complaints about ludicrous storylines. (Reuters )
Police said Friday they have found four dead bodies in an apartment in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, in what is believed to have been a family murder-suicide. (Japan Today )
Shukan Post (May 24) conveys the difficulties experienced by other parts of the adult-entertainment biz in servicing customers from the communist nation.
A deri heru (“delivery health”) call-girl tells the tabloid that she is often requested to arrive at major hotels in the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro entertainment areas of Tokyo by Chinese visitors. (Tokyo Reporter)