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The article discusses the possible impact of vaping (electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes) on Japan's tobacco industry. Topics falling smoking rates in Japan, vaporizing products released by the firms Philip Morris International Inc. and Japan Tobacco, sales of the Ploom TECH product offered by Japan Tobacco Inc.

The article focuses on the expansion of Japanese retail companies into Vietnam. It states that Aeon, which is Japan's largest retailer by sales, operates 54 supermarkets and four malls in Vietnam, a third of all its supermarkets and more than double the grocery stores Aeon has in China. It comments on the growth of Vietnam's middle class and economy and reports nearly two-thirds of Vietnamese are under 35 years of age. It talks about growing competition from Vietnamese retailers.

The article discusses the performance of stock exchanges in Japan as of May 2013, with information on the sale of stocks and bonds at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Topics include economic policy under Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, economic conditions for investment banks and brokerages in Japan, and investor attitudes.

The article focuses on the increase in Japan's public debt in 2012. Topics include the amount of debt per capita, the anticipated collapse of the Japanese bond market, and the creation of trade deficit due to the movement of Japanese manufacturing industries outside the country. Information is provided on Japan's plan to increase the consumption tax.

The article focuses on the rise in value of the Japanese yen in 2011. Information is provided on how the yen historically rises in value during times of global financial strife, how foreign investment in yen-based securities has helped raise the currency's value, and how Japan's domestic savings pool ensures that it will not need foreign capital in times of financial insecurity.

Philip Morris International Inc. and Japan Tobacco Inc. have rolled out products that are heated -- not burned -- in battery-charged devices, seeking to appeal to smokers who want their nicotine fix without the usual smell and smoke. In contrast, vapor-producing products that use tobacco leaves, such as iQOS and Ploom Tech, are viewed as pipe tobacco, while non-nicotine e-cigarettes aren't regulated in Japan and are available even to minors. [Extracted from the article]

To contact the reporter on this story:Monami Yui in Tokyo at myui1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story:K. Oanh Ha at oha3@bloomberg.netJake Ulick Attribution Jake Ulick: editor Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

Company to offer 61.1 million shares in Japan and overseas Dentsu, NTT Data, are among investors planning to unload stock To contact the reporter on this story:Monami Yui in Tokyo at myui1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story:K. Oanh Ha at oha3@bloomberg.netYoung-Sam Cho, Sam Nagarajan. [Extracted from the article]

Company to offer 61.1 million shares in Japan and overseas A group of Recruit Holdings Co. shareholders will sell about 253 billion yen ($2.5 billion) worth of the employment firm's stock, adding to the number of Japanese companies disposing of holdings in unrelated companies. Advertiser Dentsu Inc. and telecommunications company NTT Data Corp. are among owners that will sell 61.1 million shares, Recruit Holdings said in a statement Wednesday. [Extracted from the article]

"Sufficient Chance" of BOJ Easing September, Kuroda Tells Sankei Bank of Japan governor speaks in interview with newspaper Kuroda said in the Sankei interview that the chances are high that the BOJ will reach its inflation target in fiscal 2017, but uncertainties are rising due to the global economic situation. [Extracted from the article]

The Japanese pop band SMAP is going to break up on Dec. 31, putting an end to its 25 years as a group, its agency Johnny & Associates said in a statement on its website. Attribution Stanley James: editor Colin Keatinge: editor Brian Fowler: editor responsible Monami Yui: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

To contact the reporter on this story:Monami Yui in Tokyo at myui1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story:Brian Fowler at bfowler4@bloomberg.netColin Keatinge, Stanley James Attribution Stanley James: editor Colin Keatinge: editor Brian Fowler: editor responsible Monami Yui: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

Sales jumped 27 percent in July, with demand by families for children's meals that include Pokemon toys and the Pokemon Go collaboration driving traffic, it said. Attribution Kevin Orland: editor Mark Schoifet: editor Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

Japan celebrates inaugural Mountain Day holiday on Aug. 11 Minamiya, who is also the youngest among her countrymen to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents, is a Mountain Day ambassador who also endorses clothing made by Uniqlo, the casual wear chain owned by Fast Retailing Co. [Extracted from the article]

Rising yen pares outlook for profit from overseas businesses Shiseido Co. lowered its full-year net income forecast 13 percent, missing analysts estimates, as a stronger yen and the costs of its recent acquisitions dragged on profit. [Extracted from the article]

Kirin's improved net income forecast highlights a recovery from its 2015 annual loss, the brewer's first in 66 years as the company restructured its money-losing Brazilian business. Kirin cut its domestic beer sales target for the year by 1.7 percent and trimmed the overall sales forecast by 2.8 percent. [Extracted from the article]

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. could save about 30 billion yen ($297 million) on its purchase of European beer brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev NV as Japan's currency strengthened since the companies agreed on the deal. Attribution Grace Huang: by reporter Lena Lee: editor Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible Daryl Loo: editor. [Extracted from the article]

Chinese consumers have the purchasing power, but lack "knowledge and information" of the trappings of a middle-class lifestyle, according to Weng Yongbiao, whose company Inagora Inc. released the shopping app last November. "We help Chinese consumers find good products and also help Japanese companies to introduce them to users", said Weng, who was born in Shanghai but spent almost 30 years studying and working in Japan, where he once ran the local operations for Beijing-based security software-maker Kingsoft Corp. Attribution Grace Huang: by reporter Brian Bremner: editor responsible Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible Jason Gale: editor Daryl Loo: editor. [Extracted from the article]

Currency fluctuations erode gains from overseas sales volume "Currency fluctuation is the issue everyone in the industry is facing and there's nothing Japan Tobacco can do", Yoshiyasu Okihira, a Tokyo-based analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., said by phone. [Extracted from the article]

Japan's largest beverage co. lifts net income outlook by 44% Asahi's improved first-half net income is still 28 percent lower than the 39.5 billion yen it booked in the same period a year earlier. [Extracted from the article]

Aeon, Japan's largest retailer by sales, currently operates four malls and 54 supermarkets in Vietnam. The number of Aeon supermarkets in the Southeast Asian country is more than double the grocery stores the company's invested in China and comprises a third of supermarkets the Japanese business has opened outside its home market. [Extracted from the article]

Burger chain giving out Pokemon toys along with Happy Meals McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) saw its shares jump as much as 23 percent, the biggest daily gain since its July 2001 listing after it started giving away figurines based on Pokemon characters such as Pikachu with sales of Happy Meals on Friday. [Extracted from the article]

Third-quarter sales beats estimates at Uniqlo clothing maker On Thursday after the market closed, the retailer posted third-quarter sales and operating income that beat analyst estimates. [Extracted from the article]

Company cuts profit forecast on strong yen as sales rise A stronger yen impacts the value of Fast Retailing's repatriated earnings from overseas and its foreign-currency denominated assets, while lowering import material costs. [Extracted from the article]

Stronger yen eroded Uniqlo-owner's earnings from overseas A stronger yen impacts the value of Fast Retailing's repatriated earnings from overseas and its foreign-currency denominated assets, while lowering import material costs. [Extracted from the article]

Oriental Land expects overseas visitors to double by 2020 Attribution Grace Huang: by reporter Yusuke Miyazawa: editor responsible Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible Daryl Loo: editor. [Extracted from the article]

Aeon has $62 million loss, worst first-quarter in eight years Japan's discount-seeking shoppers drove some retailers into the red last quarter as an uncertain economic outlook persuaded consumers to tighten their purse strings. [Extracted from the article]

Japan Post's aspiration to expand outside home adds to the wave of consolidation among logistics, packaging and freight companies in Asia. Attribution Sam Nagarajan: editor Kiyotaka Matsuda: by reporter Anand Krishnamoorthy: editor responsible Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

JPMorgan's Murata described Yanai as Fast Retailing's "everything" and noted that it would be tough for one person to take over all the responsibilities he has, saying Yanai is likely to seek to install a multi-person leadership team. The company serves as a matchmaker for aging CEOs, especially for smaller firms in Japan's countryside. [Extracted from the article]

"Gurwitch's forte is color cosmetics, so we think acquiring its brands will help enrich Shiseido's U.S. brand portfolio", Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities analyst Hisae Kawamoto wrote in a note. Attribution Young-Sam Cho: editor responsible Dave McCombs: by reporter Monami Yui: by reporter K. Oanh Ha: editor responsible Daryl Loo: editor. [Extracted from the article]

Japan's second-biggest operator targets 1,000 stores abroad Japan's second-biggest convenience stores operator Lawson Inc. is looking to buy other chains in the U.S. as it speeds up overseas expansion, with the aim of boosting its number of overseas outlets by about a quarter within a year. [Extracted from the article]

Prime Minister Abe holds start of 10% sales tax for 2.5 years Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday he's postponing an increase in sales tax to October 2019 and promised bold economic steps, as the government seeks to avoid depressing private consumption which accounts for about 60 percent of Japan's gross domestic product. [Extracted from the article]

Activist Dan Loeb backed Isaka to lead Seven-Eleven owner Billionaire Loeb had backed Isaka to run the group in a management struggle with former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Toshifumi Suzuki. The 83-year-old Suzuki, who had tried but failed to oust Isaka, will remain as Seven & i's honorary adviser, the new president said at the briefing. [Extracted from the article]

U.S. retailer shutting about 75 stores in total to shift focus The San Francisco-based retailer still has 170 Gap stores and 51 Banana Republic outlets in Japan. [Extracted from the article]

The Japanese brewer is aiming to boost the ratio of its overseas sales contribution to 20 percent by 2018, up from 15 percent currently, and will look to expand in both the U.S. and Europe, said Koji, 64, who was promoted to the number two job March 24 after heading Asahi's beer unit since 2011. The European deal may boost Asahi's profitability and change its earnings structure, which has been heavily reliant on domestic beer sales, according to Satoshi Fujiwara, an analyst at Nomura Securities Co. Asahi's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization margin, which excludes liquor tax, is at about 14 percent while that of the AB InBev brands it's acquiring is about 21 percent, he said. [Extracted from the article]

McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan)'s first-quarter loss narrowed as the fast-food chain won back some customers after being hit by a series of food safety scandals. Casanova, who's also chief executive officer of McDonald's Japan, said the following month it's premature to comment on the stake sale. [Extracted from the article]

Japan Tobacco Inc. profit rose in the first quarter as smokers stocked up on cigarettes before a planned price increase and the company gained on the sale of real estate assets. "In Japan, last minute demand before the price hike pushed up sales during the January-March period", Satoshi Fujiwara, an analyst at Nomura Securities Co., said Monday before the earnings announcement. [Extracted from the article]

Carmaker has improperly tested for fuel economy since 1991 Wrongdoing by the Japanese automaker and Volkswagen AG has prompted a reckoning of the ways carmakers test for and label the fuel economy and exhaust emissions of their vehicles. [Extracted from the article]

Mitsubishi Motors hasn't decided on how it will compensate customers, said Aikawa, who also told reporters he wasn't aware of the improper testing. Attribution Young-Sam Cho: editor responsible Dave McCombs: editor Shigeru Sato: assist Chua Kong Ho: editor responsible Masatsugu Horie: by reporter Craig Trudell: editor Monami Yui: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

"Mitsubishi Motors has come a long way since past problems, so this is very disappointing", Shunichi Miyanaga, president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the carmaker's largest shareholder, told reporters in Tokyo Monday. Mitsubishi Motors changed the test method and way of stating fuel economy for the Outlander in 2014 to avoid consumer confusion, according to Yuki Murata, a spokesman for the carmaker. Attribution Kiyotaka Matsuda: by reporter Dave McCombs: editor Chua Kong Ho: editor responsible Masatsugu Horie: by reporter Monami Yui: by reporter Chris Cooper: assist. [Extracted from the article]

Japan has seen tourism rebounding since major 2011 earthquake Hana Tour Services Inc., South Korea's largest publicly traded tour agency, has canceled all its Kyushu tours up to April 22, and will waive charges for those who drop out until April 30, according to a spokesman. [Extracted from the article]

Abe tells rescuers to ensure water, food supply, medical care Attribution Brett Miller: editor Takashi Hirokawa: assist Shingo Kawamoto: assist Aya Takada: by reporter Brian Fowler: editor responsible Craig Trudell: assist Monami Yui: by reporter Emi Urabe: assist Jodi Schneider: editor Takashi Amano: assist James Mayger: assist. [Extracted from the article]

Board to vote April 19 to confirm Ryuichi Isaka's promotion The Seven & i nomination committee has endorsed Isaka in a meeting Friday, and its board of directors will vote to confirm the decision on April 19, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The panel also picked Chief Administrative Officer Katsuhiro Goto to be vice-president of the group while executive Kazuki Furuya is to replace Isaka at Seven-Eleven Japan, the person said. [Extracted from the article]

Just days earlier, Isaka's job was at stake as Seven & i considered a plan by Chairman and CEO Toshifumi Suzuki to remove him. The parent company is now losing its top executive of more than a decade, with Suzuki saying he will resign after the board rejected the 83-year-old's bid to remove his subordinate. The management upheaval comes as activist investor Dan Loeb has called for Japan's largest retailer to restructure or divest less profitable units, while backing Isaka as a leading candidate to take over the group. [Extracted from the article]

Departure caps more than 50 years at Seven & i, affiliates Suzuki, 83, wasn't satisfied with Seven-Eleven Japan President Ryuichi Isaka and asked him to resign, he told reporters at a briefing Thursday in Tokyo. [Extracted from the article]

Loeb wants Seven & i to restructure or divest other retailers Attribution Kenneth Wong: editor Shigeru Sato: by reporter Stephanie Wong: editor responsible Craig Trudell: by reporter Monami Yui: by reporter Daryl Loo: editor. [Extracted from the article]