Support rate for Cabinet slides to 54%

The public support rating for Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Cabinet has fallen to 54.6 percent, down from 62.8 percent after it was launched on Sept. 2, a Kyodo News poll showed Sunday.

About 27.8 percent of those polled over the weekend didn't support the Cabinet.

The poll, conducted Saturday and Sunday, indicated that the public is split over a plan to raise taxes to help rebuild areas affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, with 46.2 percent in favor and 50.5 percent opposed.

But a clear majority backed the outline of the third extraordinary budget for fiscal 2011, which includes measures to support reconstruction from the disasters, with 63.2 percent for it and 30.3 percent opposed.

Noda has called on the opposition parties to jointly launch policy-coordinating talks on the third extra budget. But given voters' reluctance to accept tax hikes, Noda is expected to have a tough time negotiating financing measures for reconstruction.

The poll also showed an overwhelming majority of 86 percent believe that Ichiro Ozawa, a former leader of Noda's ruling Democratic Party of Japan, should give sworn testimony in the Diet over a political funds scandal that recently resulted in the conviction of three of his former secretaries.

The DPJ's support rating meanwhile stood at 27.1 percent, with the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party at 23.2 percent, the poll said.

On the long-standing issue of relocating U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture, the poll said that 32.5 percent want the base pulled from Japan, followed by 26.6 percent who support for the current plan to transfer it to Nago in northern Okinawa.

The survey was conducted by calling random, computer-generated phone numbers and drew valid responses from 1,012 eligible voters.

Meanwhile on Sunday, LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki reiterated the party's demand that Ozawa be summoned to testify at the Diet, hinting that the party may not agree to start deliberations on the third extra budget unless that happens.

"It's better if we can avoid making (the summoning) a precondition," Tanigaki said on an NHK news program.

"But you need to settle this issue so that we can start deliberations comfortably" at the Diet, Tanigaki said.

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Japan Stocks Rise as Germany, France Express Support for Greece - BusinessWeek

September 15, 2011, 3:34 AM EDT By Norie Kuboyama

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Japanese stocks advanced, with the Nikkei 225 Stock Average rising the most in a week, after German and French leaders said they are convinced Greece will remain in the euro zone and speculation grew that China may help the region’s most-indebted nations.

Kyocera Corp., an electronics maker that gets almost 20 percent of its sales in Europe, added 2.1 percent after the euro appreciated against the yen, boosting the exporter’s earnings outlook. Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd., Japan’s No. 3 steelmaker, jumped 3.8 percent after Credit Suisse Group AG raised its stock price estimate. Elpida Memory Inc. paced chipmakers higher after saying it may shift some production overseas.

The Nikkei 225 advanced 1.8 percent to 8,668.86 at the 3 p.m. close in Tokyo, its biggest increase since Sept. 7. The broader Topix added 1.4 percent to 751.76, with more than five shares rising for each that fell.

“There was a concern that France and Germany would one- sidedly blame Greece and show no support, but the situation on Greece was not as bad as expected,” said Mitsushige Akino, who oversees about $600 million in Tokyo at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co. ”Following the stronger euro, more companies sensitive to the euro on earnings will likely be bought.”

The Topix has fallen 16 percent this year amid concern U.S. growth is sputtering and Europe’s debt crisis will damage the banking system, damping demand in two of Japan’s biggest export markets.

Support For Greece

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index advanced for a third day yesterday in New York, rising 1.4 percent. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are “convinced” Greece will remain in the euro area, according to a statement issued by Sarkozy after they spoke to Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou by telephone. Futures on the S&P 500 were little changed today.

China is willing to buy the bonds of nations hit by the debt crisis, Caijing reported on its website yesterday, citing Zhang Xiaoqiang, a vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Japanese exporters to Europe gained after the region’s shared currency appreciated against the majority of its most- traded counterparts. The euro advanced to 105.29 yen at the close of stock trading today in Tokyo, compared with 104.83 yesterday.

‘Buying Trigger’

Kyocera added 2.1 percent to 6,750 yen. Ricoh Co., an office-equipment and camera maker that obtains almost a quarter of its revenue in Europe, climbed 2.2 percent to 662 yen.

The euro’s advanced was a “buying trigger,” said Seiichiro Iwamoto, who helps oversee about $35 billion in Tokyo at Mizuho Asset Management Co. “Many companies are hedging for the dollar, but not for the euro. So, the impact from the euro’s appreciation on earnings is big.”

Sumitomo Metal Industries advanced 3.8 percent to 166 yen after Credit Suisse raised its price target for the steelmaker to 230 yen from 220 yen, citing higher prices for the company’s seamless pipes. Nippon Steel Corp. gained 3.6 percent to 231 yen after Credit Suisse raised its profit outlook for Japan’s No. 1 steelmaker.

Elpida, the world’s third-largest memory chipmaker, jumped 5 percent to 564 yen after saying it may shift some production to Taiwan as part of plans to cope with a stronger yen and an industry slump. Elpida has lost 40 percent this year.

Chip-related companies also advanced after the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, which tracks the performance of 30 industry stocks, rose yesterday for a third day to its highest level since Aug. 3. Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., a maker of chip-making equipment, soared 6 percent to 479 yen. Advantest Corp., the world’s biggest producer of chip testers, climbed 2.7 percent to 885 yen.

--With assistance from Toshiro Hasegawa in Tokyo. Editors: Jason Clenfield, John McCluskey.

To contact the reporters on this story: Norie Kuboyama in Tokyo at nkuboyama@bloomberg.net; Toshiro Hasegawa in Tokyo at thasegawa6@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Gentle at ngentle2@bloomberg.net.

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BOJ's Miyao: may get less support from overseas demand (Reuters)

HAKODATE, Japan (Reuters) – Bank of Japan board member Ryuzo Miyao said on Wednesday the country's economy may get less support than initially expected from overseas demand as the recovery in the U.S. and European economies loses steam.

"Japan's economy will continue a moderate recovery based on output and exports after supply constraints are resolved," Miyao said in a speech to business leaders in Hakodate on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido.

"But there are some concerns over the recovery scenario," he added, also citing persistent yen rises, higher energy costs and prolonged deflation expectations as factors that could hurt growth.

A former academic, Miyao has voted with the majority since joining the board last year and is regarded as among those on the board who are more pessimistic about the economy.

Below are key quotes from Miyao's speech:

JAPAN ECONOMY

"Japan's economy is picking up steadily as supply constraints stemming from the (March 11 earthquake) disaster have mostly been resolved. Production and exports, in particular, are on a growth trend ...

"Japan's economy will continue a moderate recovery based on output and exports after supply constraints are resolved. But there are some concerns over the recovery scenario: these are slowing overseas economies, the yen's sustained strength, increased electricity costs and worries about prolonged deflation."

OVERSEAS DEMAND

"The first concern regarding the Japanese economy's recovery scenario is the likelihood of overseas demand falling more than expected as the recovery in the U.S. and European economies slows, as a result hurting Japan's recovery.

POLICY

"The BOJ took additional easing at the August 4 meeting ... Although the economy has recovered steadily mainly in output, the BOJ took into account negative factors for the outlook including uncertainty about the global economy and the effect of the change in the base-year for the consumer price index."

EUROPE

"European financial and capital markets remain unstable.

"Since the Greek crisis broke out in May 2010, more and more countries have become targets of market attacks, while the authorities have expanded assistance each time. As the contagion spreads to Italy and Spain, risks surrounding Europe's debt problems are heightening ...

"What is worrying for the future are the spillover effect from the debt problems on Europe's banking sector and real economy. This concern seems to have partly materialized in the form of rises in CDS and widening spreads of corporate bonds. We thus need to closely watch developments."

U.S., EMERGING NATIONS

"The U.S. economy is recovering but the pace of recovery has slowed substantially.

"Emerging economies in Asia have maintained a high growth rate driven by China, and I expect their medium- to long-term growth expectations to remain high. But underlying economic indicators are showing some slowdowns, due in part to monetary tightening to counter price hikes ...

"The effects of the earthquake have largely ended since July but external demand could struggle to pick up on the slowing pace of economic recovery in Europe and the United States."

UNORTHODOX POLICY

"When policy rates are reduced close to zero percent further monetary easing becomes difficult. At the same time a central bank can pledge to keep zero rates in the foreseeable future or expand the size of its assets or change their composition to boost the effects of monetary easing.

"The BOJ's 'comprehensive easing' taken from October last year includes all such elements and is thus an unorthodox monetary policy package. The BOJ has pledged to continue the zero rate policy until price stability is in sight, and is buying various assets ...

"A series of U.S. monetary policy steps since the Lehman crisis are similar.

"While unorthodox policy steps have the mechanism of affecting the economy through various channels, excessive easing is feared to have side effects. First of all, if a central bank intervenes in markets excessively and tamps down risk premiums excessively, it hampers markets' risk-based pricing functions ...

"We need to be fully aware of the fact that unorthodox monetary policy could have unique side effects.

"We need to examine the timing and steps that maximize the effects and minimize the drawbacks and be cautious and decisive in our policy response."

(Reporting by Leika Kihara, Rie Ishiguro and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Michael Watson)

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AP-GfK Poll: Japanese support for US bases grows - The Associated Press

AP-GfK Poll: Japanese support for US bases growsBy MALCOLM FOSTER, Associated Press – 5 hours ago 

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese have become more welcoming to the U.S. military presence in their country over the past six years as fears spread that neighboring China and North Korea are threats to peace, an Associated Press-GfK poll has found.

The survey released Monday on Japanese views of other countries, security and the imperial family also showed that while about half of Japanese are positive about the U.S. and Germany, they are overwhelmingly negative or neutral toward immediate Asian neighbors China, Russia and North Korea. Opinions about South Korea are mixed.

Those attitudes, as well as results showing Japanese are reluctant to allow more foreign workers into the country, suggest a general wariness of outsiders. Some 46 percent are opposed to increasing the number of immigrants — more than double the share in favor of boosting their numbers — even though doing so would help offset the shrinking labor force as the population ages.

And while they gave their own elected leaders low marks, most Japanese think highly of the emperor and military.

Tokyo has cast a cautious eye toward China's increased military spending and more assertive stance on disputed islands in the region. Ties between the two countries deteriorated to their worst point in years last autumn when a Chinese fishing trawler and Japanese patrol vessels collided near islands controlled by Japan but claimed by both in the East China Sea.

China's state-run media have already issued warnings to new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda for past statements suggesting that Beijing's military buildup is a regional security threat.

For protection, Japan relies on its own military and nearly 50,000 U.S. troops based in the country under a 51-year-old joint security pact. That arrangement received extra scrutiny last year when former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama sought — and ultimately failed — to move a controversial U.S. Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.

American forces were also actively involved in humanitarian relief efforts after March's tsunami disaster.

Amid public alarm about China's assertiveness, support for the American military bases in Japan has grown to 57 percent, while 34 percent want them withdrawn. In a similar 2005 poll, Japanese were evenly divided on the issue at 47 percent.

"The U.S. military presence has received a greater acceptance, apparently because people think this region has grown more unstable than before," Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba said Monday in response to the results.

China is viewed as a threat to world peace by nearly three-quarters of respondents, and about as many have a negative impression of the country — which is also Japan's largest trading partner. Unfavorable views of Chinese leader Hu Jintao outweigh favorable views by more than 11-to-1, the AP-GfK poll showed.

North Korea, meanwhile, is viewed as a threat by even more Japanese — 80 percent, up from 59 percent in 2005. The country, which fired missiles into waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan in 2005 and again in 2006, is viewed negatively by 94 percent. Its leader, Kim Jong Il, is disliked by nine in 10.

Many Japanese are supportive of their own military, called the Self-Defense Forces, with 74 percent trusting it to do the right thing all or most of the time.

But people were mixed over changing the constitution to give the military a greater international role, although more favored such a change — 38 percent — than opposed — 28 percent. About a third were neutral.

The Japanese Constitution, drawn up by a U.S. occupation force after World War II, prohibits the creation of an armed force that can be maintained for offensive purposes. But under pressure from the U.S. to play a larger role in regional security, Japan has become more involved in peacekeeping operations abroad. It also sent refueling ships to the Indian Ocean to help with the Afghan war.

Most Japanese continue to hold Emperor Akihito, who lacks any political power, in high esteem: 70 percent view him favorably and 65 percent feel the Imperial family still fits well with modern Japanese society.

Still, just 22 percent would favor giving the emperor power to set government policy, while 43 percent oppose such an expansion of imperial power. About a third are neutral.

President Barack Obama is seen positively by 41 percent of respondents, with the same number viewing him in a neutral way. Some 16 percent see him unfavorably. As a country, the United States is seen favorably by 49 percent, neutrally by 36 percent and unfavorably by 14 percent.

Germany garnered the smallest unfavorable rating — just 4 percent — with 48 percent giving the country a thumbs up. Chancellor Angela Merkel garnered a neutral rating from just over half the respondents, while 28 percent view her positively and 7 percent negatively.

Neighboring South Korea, whose television dramas and "K-pop" singers have become increasingly popular in Japan, isn't so popular itself, with 31 percent viewing the country positively and 27 percent negatively.

Russia, meanwhile, is viewed positively by just 11 percent and negatively by 44 percent.

Japan has come under fire internationally for its whale hunting, but the Japanese public narrowly favors whaling for commercial purposes, the survey showed. Fifty-two percent favor it, 35 percent are neutral and 13 percent are opposed. Far more men are in favor than women.

However, few — 12 percent — are deeply interested in eating whale meat themselves. Most — 66 percent— have little or no interest in dining on whale.

Commercial whaling is banned under a 1986 moratorium but various exceptions have allowed Japan, as well as Iceland and Norway, to hunt whales anyway. Japan claims its hunts are for research purposes, though the meat from the killed whales mostly ends up in restaurants, stores and school lunches.

The AP-GfK telephone poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications surveyed 1,000 adults across Japan by landline telephone between July 29 and Aug. 10, and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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AP-GfK Poll: Japanese support for US bases grows (AP)

TOKYO – Japanese have become more welcoming to the U.S. military presence in their country over the past six years as fears spread that neighboring China and North Korea are threats to peace, an Associated Press-GfK poll has found.

The survey released Monday on Japanese views of other countries, security and the imperial family also showed that while about half of Japanese are positive about the U.S. and Germany, they are overwhelmingly negative or neutral toward immediate Asian neighbors China, Russia and North Korea. Opinions about South Korea are mixed.

Those attitudes, as well as results showing Japanese are reluctant to allow more foreign workers into the country, suggest a general wariness of outsiders. Some 46 percent are opposed to increasing the number of immigrants — more than double the share in favor of boosting their numbers — even though doing so would help offset the shrinking labor force as the population ages.

And while they gave their own elected leaders low marks, most Japanese think highly of the emperor and military.

Tokyo has cast a cautious eye toward China's increased military spending and more assertive stance on disputed islands in the region. Ties between the two countries deteriorated to their worst point in years last autumn when a Chinese fishing trawler and Japanese patrol vessels collided near islands controlled by Japan but claimed by both in the East China Sea.

China's state-run media have already issued warnings to new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda for past statements suggesting that Beijing's military buildup is a regional security threat.

For protection, Japan relies on its own military and nearly 50,000 U.S. troops based in the country under a 51-year-old joint security pact. That arrangement received extra scrutiny last year when former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama sought — and ultimately failed — to move a controversial U.S. Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.

American forces were also actively involved in humanitarian relief efforts after March's tsunami disaster.

Amid public alarm about China's assertiveness, support for the American military bases in Japan has grown to 57 percent, while 34 percent want them withdrawn. In a similar 2005 poll, Japanese were evenly divided on the issue at 47 percent.

"The U.S. military presence has received a greater acceptance, apparently because people think this region has grown more unstable than before," Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba said Monday in response to the results.

China is viewed as a threat to world peace by nearly three-quarters of respondents, and about as many have a negative impression of the country — which is also Japan's largest trading partner. Unfavorable views of Chinese leader Hu Jintao outweigh favorable views by more than 11-to-1, the AP-GfK poll showed.

North Korea, meanwhile, is viewed as a threat by even more Japanese — 80 percent, up from 59 percent in 2005. The country, which fired missiles into waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan in 2005 and again in 2006, is viewed negatively by 94 percent. Its leader, Kim Jong Il, is disliked by nine in 10.

Many Japanese are supportive of their own military, called the Self-Defense Forces, with 74 percent trusting it to do the right thing all or most of the time.

But people were mixed over changing the constitution to give the military a greater international role, although more favored such a change — 38 percent — than opposed — 28 percent. About a third were neutral.

The Japanese Constitution, drawn up by a U.S. occupation force after World War II, prohibits the creation of an armed force that can be maintained for offensive purposes. But under pressure from the U.S. to play a larger role in regional security, Japan has become more involved in peacekeeping operations abroad. It also sent refueling ships to the Indian Ocean to help with the Afghan war.

Most Japanese continue to hold Emperor Akihito, who lacks any political power, in high esteem: 70 percent view him favorably and 65 percent feel the Imperial family still fits well with modern Japanese society.

Still, just 22 percent would favor giving the emperor power to set government policy, while 43 percent oppose such an expansion of imperial power. About a third are neutral.

President Barack Obama is seen positively by 41 percent of respondents, with the same number viewing him in a neutral way. Some 16 percent see him unfavorably. As a country, the United States is seen favorably by 49 percent, neutrally by 36 percent and unfavorably by 14 percent.

Germany garnered the smallest unfavorable rating — just 4 percent — with 48 percent giving the country a thumbs up. Chancellor Angela Merkel garnered a neutral rating from just over half the respondents, while 28 percent view her positively and 7 percent negatively.

Neighboring South Korea, whose television dramas and "K-pop" singers have become increasingly popular in Japan, isn't so popular itself, with 31 percent viewing the country positively and 27 percent negatively.

Russia, meanwhile, is viewed positively by just 11 percent and negatively by 44 percent.

Japan has come under fire internationally for its whale hunting, but the Japanese public narrowly favors whaling for commercial purposes, the survey showed. Fifty-two percent favor it, 35 percent are neutral and 13 percent are opposed. Far more men are in favor than women.

However, few — 12 percent — are deeply interested in eating whale meat themselves. Most — 66 percent_ have little or no interest in dining on whale.

Commercial whaling is banned under a 1986 moratorium but various exceptions have allowed Japan, as well as Iceland and Norway, to hunt whales anyway. Japan claims its hunts are for research purposes, though the meat from the killed whales mostly ends up in restaurants, stores and school lunches.

The AP-GfK telephone poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications surveyed 1,000 adults across Japan by landline telephone between July 29 and Aug. 10, and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.

___

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com

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Japan new PM Noda enjoys strong voter support (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) – Two-thirds of Japanese voters support new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda as his call for unity within the ruling party and conciliatory stance toward the opposition raised hopes for speedy policy implementation, newspaper polls showed on Sunday.

That was a sharp turnaround from his predecessor, Naoto Kan, who saw his support fall below 20 percent after suffering a political stalemate due to rebels within his Democratic Party and a divided parliament, where the opposition controls the upper chamber and can block bills.

But potential trouble for Japan's new leader is already brewing as the Asahi newspaper said Noda had received political donation from a non-Japanese resident. A similar development forced Seiji Maehara to step down as foreign minister in March.

Noda, a fiscal hawk, became Japan's sixth premier in five years last week, pledging to quickly tackle fiscal reforms to rein in huge public debt -- now twice the size of the country's $5 trillion economy -- but with an eye on growth.

Support for the Noda government was 67 percent, according to a poll by the Nikkei business daily, compared with 19 percent for Kan's cabinet in the previous survey conducted in late July.

Polls by three other major newspapers, the Yomiuri, Mainichi and Asahi, showed that support for Noda, who is tasked to forge a new energy policy while ending a radiation crisis caused by a deadly tsunami in March, came to 65 percent, 56 percent and 53 percent, respectively. Another poll by Kyodo news agency showed similar results on Saturday.

In the Nikkei survey, 36 percent of those polled said they support Noda's Democratic Party. That compares with 30 percent in favor of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), boding well for the DPJ's fortunes in the next election.

In the previous survey in July, more voters supported the LDP than the ruling party.

A lower house election is not mandated until late 2013 and Noda on Friday ruled out a snap election for now.

Clouding the high popularity luster, however, the Asahi said Noda's fund management body had received 158,000 yen ($2,058) in political donation from a non-Japanese resident in three years to 2003.

He may also have received about 150,000 yen from another foreign national, the paper added.

It is illegal in Japan for lawmakers to take political contributions from non-Japanese residents, if done intentionally.

The statute of limitations on both cases has already run out, the newspaper said. But they could nonetheless be used by the opposition camp as ammunition to undermine the new government.

The Asahi quoted Noda's office as saying that neither Noda or his office had been aware of the donations in question.

READY FOR INTERVENTION IF NEEDED

Besides the prolonged nuclear crisis and mounting public debt, Noda needs to tame a firmer yen that is hurting Japan's export-reliant economy and enact a third extra budget to fund Japan's reconstruction efforts from the March disaster.

Noda plans to set up a national strategic council, where government ministers, the central bank, businesses and labor unions will discuss key issues such as tax and social security reforms and the country's budget, the Nikkei said.

The council, similar to a powerful policy-making body set up by former popular Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, will enable Noda and Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa to respond flexibly to economic issues while maintaining central bank independence, the newspaper said.

As finance minister in Kan's cabinet, Noda led currency intervention three times to curb the yen's rise, and said on Friday Japan was facing an unprecedented crisis where industry was hollowing out because of the yen's appreciation.

In a sign that he will follow his predecessor's steps on currency, new Finance Minister Jun Azumi said he would not hesitate, if needed, to step in the currency market.

"I'm highly concerned that one-sided yen's appreciation is continuing in the foreign exchange market," Azumi said on public broadcaster NHK on Sunday.

"I will keep my eyes on speculative moves and maintain the stance of taking a decisive step when necessary."

Azumi said he intended to tell a Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers' meeting this week that fiscal conditions in the United States and European countries were among the factors behind a firmer yen and that he aimed to share a sense of urgency with his counterparts.

On the third extra budget, which is needed to help Japan's tsunami-damaged northeast recover, Azumi said he aimed to submit a budget bill to parliament as soon as mid-October.

Azumi, also following in Noda's footsteps, said that drastic cuts in government expenditure alone would not be able to cover rebuilding costs, suggesting that tax rises may be needed. ($1 = 76.770 Japanese Yen)

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)

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Panasonic To Support Tokai University's Solar Car Team

Published on 28 August 2011   Comments (Be the first)

by Raymond J. Scheicher

(OfficialWire)

OSAKA (JAPAN)
OfficialWire News Bureau

Panasonic Corp has announced its sponsorship of Tokai University’s solar car team, the defending champion for the 2011 World Solar Challenge (WSC) in Australia, one of the largest solar-powered car races in the world.

Under the sponsorship agreement, Panasonic will supply the Japanese university team with its HIT solar cells boasting the world’s highest level of energy conversion rate, as well as high-capacity lithium-ion batteries.

The solar car race, first held in 1987, sees many teams from universities, corporations and other groups around the world competing to race 3,021 km through central Australia from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south. The Tokai University team, who won the last race held in 2009 with its solar car using Panasonic lithium-ion battery cells to store its solar generated power, will look for its second straight win at 2011 WSC, which will be held from Oct 16 to 23.

Panasonic HIT solar cells are hybrids of single crystalline silicon surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. With high conversion efficiency, excellent temperature performance and high energy output per unit area, the cells are ideal for obtaining maximum power within a limited space, such as the rooftops of private homes. HIT cells are also suited for solar cars competing in the WSC because the WSC regulations limit the total area of solar cells installed on the body.

The batteries Panasonic is providing are cylindrical 18650-type (18 mm diameter, 65 mm length) high-capacity lithium-ion battery cells having the company’s proprietary nickel-based positive electrode. They will be mounted in arrays within a storage battery module. Featuring the industry’s highest level of energy density, the battery cell is light, high capacity and long-lasting and enables making battery module lighter.

As the WSC also limits the weight of the rechargeable battery module mounted on the solar car, the high capacity and lightweight Panasonic battery cells are favored by many contenders. This year, Panasonic will provide the high-capacity lithium-ion battery cells to five other solar car teams including Delft University of Technology and University of Twente from the Netherlands, Stanford University and University of California from the U.S.A., and Nanyang Technological University from Singapore.

By providing energy solutions to create electricity from sunlight and store excess power using a combination of its high-efficiency HIT solar cells and high-capacity lithium-ion batteries, Panasonic will support the students’ challenge in the solar car race that will be run under harsh weather conditions.

Raymond J. Scheicher is a journalist, author and genealogist. History research, news, and crimes his prime aims. With 11 years media experience and his other activities Raymond has been able travel throughout Europe and many parts of Asia. He has also produced his own International radio program for many years. Raymond's first book published just a few years ago was titled When I was a Lad and Later about the life of Mr. & Mrs. Norman D’Angri descendants of Natale Spiridion Giorgio D’Angri arrived to Australia 1852. He was a miner in Eureka stockade at Ballarat were he struck the large amount of gold with his group of miners. Raymond is currently writing another book about D’Angri family. For more information visit rjsworldmedia.com.

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Raymond J. Scheicher
Tel: +61 429300440
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