Department Stores Japan

Department Store Sales Slip: Sales nationwide fell in May to $6.76 billion, a 4.3% decline from the year-earlier period, the Japan Department Store Assn. said. That marks the 27th straight monthly decline. Clothing sales fell 4.1% and food sales dropped 2.1%. Furniture and consumer electronics sales fell 10.2%. Separately, the Japan Chain Stores Assn. said sales at chain stores in May declined 2.3% in May from a year earlier to $12.6 billion.

Department Store Sales Slip: Sales nationwide fell in May to $6.76 billion, a 4.3% decline from the year-earlier period, the Japan Department Store Assn. said. That marks the 27th straight monthly decline. Clothing sales fell 4.1% and food sales dropped 2.1%. Furniture and consumer electronics sales fell 10.2%. Separately, the Japan Chain Stores Assn. said sales at chain stores in May declined 2.3% in May from a year earlier to $12.6 billion.

For Aoyama, a cut-rate men's clothing chain, the move into Tokyo's uppity Ginza shopping and entertainment district was mostly an experiment in marketing. Its new neighbors saw something akin to a social revolution. "There is a 'local consciousness' that this is a high-class neighborhood into which we don't fit," said Mitsunori Fujii, chief of Aoyama's new Ginza shop.

The Jonan Denki Co.'s chain of electronic appliance stores sells videocassette recorders at more than 25% off the standard price here. Branching out into cosmetics, the stores recently began selling imported Chanel No. 5 perfume at 30% less than the prevailing price.

The Jonan Denki Co.'s chain of electronic appliance stores sells videocassette recorders at more than 25% off the standard price here. Branching out into cosmetics, the stores recently began selling imported Chanel No. 5 perfume at 30% less than the prevailing price.

Sales at 255 major department stores across Japan in February gained 6.2% over a year ago to $4.16 billion, the Japan Department Stores Association reported. The association said the steady growth was attributable to robust personal spending. There were fewer workdays in the month because stores were closed Feb 24, the day of the funeral of Emperor Hirohito. Sales of audio-visual equipment decreased 3.5% because of purchase restraint ahead of tax reductions that start April 1, they said.

Nikken Sekkei Ltd., one of Japan's largest architecture/engineering consulting firms with expertise in seismic engineering and earthquake research, has opened its first U.S. subsidiary in Los Angeles. The subsidiary, Nikken America Inc., has opened offices at 333 S. Hope St., Suite 2650. Its goal is "to develop a Pacific Rim architectural culture with influences from both countries' traditions."

A Japanese department store group has purchased additional shares of Tiffany & Co., increasing its stake in the famed jewelry company from 3% to 13%, Tiffany said Thursday. Mitsukoshi Ltd., the principal distributor of Tiffany products in Japan, agreed to buy 1.5 million additional Tiffany shares, said William R. Chaney, Tiffany's chairman. "We welcome Mitsukoshi as a significant investor," Chaney said in a statement.

San Diego developer Sandor Shapery couldn't have found a more diverse partner than Tokyu Corp., the Japanese conglomerate that signed a $100-million joint venture agreement Tuesday to build the $132-million, 30-story Emerald-Shapery hotel and office complex. Ground-breaking for the high-rise, which will feature angled hexagons that rise 12 to 30 stories above street level, is scheduled for September, with completion by mid-1989, Shapery said.

A failing Japanese retailer filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday, rejecting a government-backed bailout offer after a public outcry. Sogo Co. asked the Tokyo district court for protection from creditors after racking up debts totaling about $17.4 billion, the company said. The announcement comes just two weeks after the Deposit Insurance Corp., a government-affiliated financial institution and one of the country's largest banks, said it would forgive $4.

For Aoyama, a cut-rate men's clothing chain, the move into Tokyo's uppity Ginza shopping and entertainment district was mostly an experiment in marketing. Its new neighbors saw something akin to a social revolution. "There is a 'local consciousness' that this is a high-class neighborhood into which we don't fit," said Mitsunori Fujii, chief of Aoyama's new Ginza shop.

The broadcast and electronics industries are praising the Federal Communications Commission's endorsement of advanced television systems with enhanced sound and picture quality. The FCC on Thursday declared the new systems in the public interest and approved some preliminary rules for bringing them into American homes. But the commission said many technical and procedural problems still must be ironed out.

Despite repeated failures, the U.S. and Japanese governments are still trying to manage their increasingly emotional trade relationship in strict accordance with textbook free-trade theory. Within that narrowly economic perspective, consumer access to ever-more and ever-better goods is the only goal, protectionism the only evil, devaluation the sovereign remedy and all cultural and social consequences are simply disregarded.