Mizuho Investors Securities

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB - Nobuo Kurahashi at Mizuho Investors Securities

The initiative is part of CEO Howard Stringer's plan to turn the company around after the recession and slow sales triggered job cuts and plant closings at the end of 2008. Since then, sales of the company's mobile devices, such as the PSP Go and Sony Ericsson mobile phones , have been dismal at best. Even a major price cut on the Playstation 3 lead to only a temporary spike in sales. Sony needs new products that can move in significant numbers if Stringer's plan to tie products into its online media service is to succeed. "It's still not quite clear what specific steps Sony will take to achieve that, especially when iPad and other highly capable mobile devices are crowding the market," Nobuo Kurahashi, a consumer electronics analyst at Japanese brokerage Mizuho Investors Securities, told WSJ. 

Sony Corporation (6758) - Nobuo Kurahashi at Mizuho Investors Securities

"That's the vision, but it's still not quite clear what specific steps Sony will take to achieve that, especially when iPad and other highly capable mobile devices are crowding the market," said Nobuo Kurahashi, a consumer electronics analyst at Japanese brokerage Mizuho Investors Securities. 

Toyota Motor Corporation (7203) - Ryoichi Saito at Mizuho Investors Securities

While some Japanese have been critical of Toyota's quality control, there is still generally strong trust in the company many regard as the flagship of Japan Inc Analysts in Japan said the questioning by members of Congress wasn't overly harsh but Lentz did little to restore consumer confidence In his testimony yesterday, Lentz said the huge recalls of popular Toyota cars and trucks , totaling 85 million worldwide , may "not totally" solve frightening problems of sudden, unintended acceleration Lentz apologized repeatedly for the safety defects Lentz "failed to clarify the cause of unintended acceleration, leaving American consumers unconvinced and concerned about safety," said Ryoichi Saito, auto analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co Ltd "The American public will not buy uncertainty" 

Toyota Motor Corporation (7203) - Ryoichi Saito at Mizuho Investors Securities

The only recall in Japan has been for the antilock braking system in the Prius gas electric hybrid And while some Japanese have been critical of Toyota's quality control, there is still generally strong trust in the company many regard as the flagship of Japan Inc Analysts in Japan said the questioning by members of Congress wasn't overly harsh but Lentz did little to restore consumer confidence In his testimony Wednesday, Lentz said the huge recalls of popular Toyota cars and trucks — totaling 85 million worldwide — may "not totally" solve frightening problems of sudden, unintended acceleration Lentz apologized repeatedly for the safety defects Lentz "failed to clarify the cause of unintended acceleration, leaving American consumers unconvinced and concerned about safety," said Ryoichi Saito, auto analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co Ltd "The American public will not buy uncertainty" 

Toyota Motor Corporation (7203) - Ryoichi Saito at Mizuho Investors Securities

Analysts said that will put more pressure on Toyota President Akio Toyoda to deliver during his appearance at a second congressional hearing in Washington later Wednesday Morning TV shows ran clips of members of the US Congress grilling James Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc, — which happened overnight while most Japanese were asleep But much more TV time was devoted to women's figure skating at the Vancouver Olympics, an event in which Japan has a couple of medal contenders Analysts in Japan said the questioning by members of Congress wasn't overly harsh but Lentz did little to restore consumer confidence Lentz "failed to clarify the cause of unintended acceleration, leaving American consumers unconvinced and concerned about safety," said Ryoichi Saito, auto analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co Ltd "The American public will not buy uncertainty" 

Devon Energy Corporation (DVN) - Hirofumi Kawachi at Mizuho Investors Securities

A Chinese purchase would add to $18 billion of energy acquisitions since December 2008 as the nation scours the globe for resources to feed the world's fastest growing major economy Devon, the biggest independent oil and natural gas producer in the US, announced plans in November to sell its Gulf of Mexico and overseas assets to raise as much as $75 billion to cut debt and fund onshore developments This reflects China's "big appetite for oil assets worldwide," said Hirofumi Kawachi, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co in Tokyo "The US is gradually shifting investment to unconventional energy sources, such as shale gas reserves at home" More than a dozen companies, including several in North America and Europe, have shown interest in the Azeri field, one of the people said 

Toyota Motor Corporation (7203) - Ryoichi Saito at Mizuho Investors Securities

Toyota sold nearly 13 million Corolla cars worldwide last year Toyota manufactures the Corolla at its facility in Cambridge, Ont, where it also assembles the Matrix and the Lexus RX350 The company has another plant Woodstock, Ont where it makes the RAV4 sport utility vehicle Together the facilities employ about 6,500 people The step suggests the company is responding more quickly than earlier, said Ryoichi Saito, auto analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co Ltd 

Toyota Motor Corporation (7203) - Ryoichi Saito at Mizuho Investors Securities

Koji Endo, managing director at Advanced Research Japan, said the Corolla problems, if they expand into a recall, would deal another major blow to Toyota "If Toyota has to recall Corollas, I wouldn't be surprised if they have to recall more than a million units again It's going to be another big, big negative," said Endo But others said Toyota was sending a message it was going to be quick and thorough about maintaining quality "It really shows the company has learned its lesson from the recall debacle by starting to announce every investigation far more quickly," said Ryoichi Saito, auto analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co in Tokyo 

Mitsui & Company Limited (8031) - Hiroshi Sakurai at Mizuho Investors Securities

Mitsui, based in Tokyo, joins Sumitomo Corp in investing in extracting gas trapped in shale rock thousands of feet below the surface to capitalize on growing demand for the cleaner burning fuel Mitsui's commitment will be as large as its 250 billion yen ($278 billion) investment in Russia's Sakhalin 2 liquefied natural gas project "The US will be a major gas market in years ahead, and it needs vast investment in production infrastructure," said Hiroshi Sakurai , an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co in Tokyo "Mitsui is betting on the shale gas business in the States combined with its LNG business in Asia" 

Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (5007) - Hirofumi Kawachi at Mizuho Investors Securities

Showa Shell would be shrewd to cut capacity by 20 percent, said Hirofumi Kawachi , a senior energy analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co "Showa Shell will perhaps restructure their oil refining business quickly like Nippon Oil and Cosmo Oil Co," Kawachi said by phone from Tokyo