1.   As the biggest Japanese maker, Okuda said Toyota was trying to keep those tensions in check.

2.   A favorable ruling for the Koreans could force Japanese makers of kimchi to call it something else.

3.   A weaker dollar can hurt exporters by reducing the yen value of profits earned abroad and increasing pressure on Japanese makers to raise prices in overseas markets.

4.   But there are some less-costly alternatives, including one from Suzuki, the Japanese maker.

5.   Electronics giants such as Yamaha, the Japanese maker of musical instruments, are incorporating some of the advances into products.

6.   He cited the example of Enix, a Japanese maker of computer games.

7.   In addition to offering popular models, Japanese makers were helped by manufacturing efficiencies and the fact the yen is near a four-year low against the dollar.

8.   It will be the first AIDS drug to be marketed by the Japanese maker of plasma derivatives in Japan, Nikkei said.

9.   It is the third prominent change at the top this month among Japanese automobile makers, following those at the troubled Nissan Motor Co. and at Mazda Motor Corp.

10.   Japanese makers have lagged behind U.S., Korean and some European rivals in cutting costs, analysts said.