Chill Out

Panasonic’s second Sanyo bid rejected

Goldman Sachs has snubbed an increased offer by Panasonic for the stake that the American bank holds in Sanyo

Brokers fear finale of Mitsubishi UFJ share issue

As the books close, redundancies could sweep across Japan equity sales desks in London, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo

Nippon Oil to merge with rival Nippon Mining

The proposed 'defensive' deal will create the world's eighth largest oil major to cut refinery and petrol station costs

Uniqlo shines out among stricken retailers

Discount Japanese chain looks to expand its horizons as shoppers develop a taste for its low-price fashions

Japan driving back to the days of the '70s

Japanese car sales have plummeted, confirming fears the country has crashed into its sharpest downturn since Second World War

Japanese car sales in worst fall since 1970s

Sales are taken as a measure of consumer sentiment in Japan, and demand has waned in the US, Europe and Asia too

Japan in sharpest plunge to recession since war

Even the most bearish analysts have been awed by the speed of decline and the carnage unleashed by the financial crisis

Investors plump for safety on the home front

The miserable new environment for electronics companies highlights the differences in approach between Sony and Panasonic

Panasonic warning reflects troubles in China

Japanese electronics group gives spectacular profits warning as car sales falter and China’s construction boom starts to wilt

Sharp looks forward to brighter times

Japanese company defies downturn and announces $2.6bn (£1.6bn) gamble that will double production of solar panels by 2010

Toyota's top rating is reduced by Fitch

The world's biggest carmaker, and a symbol of Japanese industrial power, has been stripped of its AAA credit rating

When it comes to balls, Bridgestone has plenty

The past few extraordinary months have seen some companies making some truly extraordinary business decisions

London stems losses despite US falls

London joins Asia in bouncing back following days of steep declines, defying deteriorating confidence in the US

Strong yen finally drags Japan into downturn

The world's second-largest economy has become the latest leading industrial power to lurch into recession

Karl Marx goes manga in a Kapital comic strip

Bookstores from Hiroshima to Hokkaido are preparing for what they expect to be the publishing phenomenon of the year

More gloom as major economies enter recession

The OECD has forecast that the United States, Japan and the eurozone are all about to enter a synchronised downturn

Japan to offer $100bn to help out IMF

The country is preparing to offer some of its foreign exchange reserves to bolster the International Monetary Fund's coffers

Asia plunges as Yen soars on US bailout fears

The yen is the most accurate barometer of global risk aversion - the higher it climbs, the worse the sentiment

Wall Street's early gains cancelled out

China's £375bn investment deal lifts US shares in early trade but company losses temper gains