Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd

Probe of Stolen Secrets in Japan Widens: A police investigation of the theft of secrets from major construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd. has widened to include as many as 15 companies, some of them among Japan's most prestigious corporate names. Media reports said a dozen more companies--including Kobe Steel Ltd., Japan's fifth-largest steelmaker, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.

$180-Million Rail Car Order Placed: Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsui and Co. said the order is from the Long Island Rail Road for 114 commuter train cars. The New York City-area railroad, which ordered 23 locomotives from General Motors last week, has an option to buy 48 more commuter cars as part of the contract. The cars will be built by Kawasaki subsidiary Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. of Yonkers, N.Y. About 40% of the required parts will be procured from New York-area suppliers.

Japan and the United States signed an agreement to begin a multibillion-dollar joint venture to develop a state-of-the-art jet fighter for Japan's air defense. The agreement, signed Tuesday, calls for St. Louis-based General Dynamics Corp. and three Japanese companies--Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.--to jointly develop the new fighter based on the General Dynamics F-16.

Probe of Stolen Secrets in Japan Widens: A police investigation of the theft of secrets from major construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd. has widened to include as many as 15 companies, some of them among Japan's most prestigious corporate names. Media reports said a dozen more companies--including Kobe Steel Ltd., Japan's fifth-largest steelmaker, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.

$180-Million Rail Car Order Placed: Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsui and Co. said the order is from the Long Island Rail Road for 114 commuter train cars. The New York City-area railroad, which ordered 23 locomotives from General Motors last week, has an option to buy 48 more commuter cars as part of the contract. The cars will be built by Kawasaki subsidiary Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. of Yonkers, N.Y. About 40% of the required parts will be procured from New York-area suppliers.

A Federal District Court jury in Los Angeles on Tuesday awarded Clayton Jacobson, the inventor of the jet ski, a $21.5-million judgment against Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan and its U.S. subsidiaries. Jacobson, a former Los Angeles resident who now lives in Lake Tahoe, has battled the Japanese company since about 1971, when he first granted them license to manufacture and sell the jet ski, a high-speed, motorized water ski referred to as a "personal watercraft."

In a step toward Japan's goal of developing an aircraft industry, three Japanese manufacturers have reached an agreement to take their largest role ever in development and production of a new U.S. jetliner. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries reached an agreement with Boeing Co.

Boeing said Friday that three Japanese aerospace firms will build 20% of the structure for the firm's next generation commercial jetliner, setting tighter limits on the Japanese role than had been expected. Under a preliminary agreement, the three Japanese firms will not become "equity partners," meaning that they will be excluded from participating in overall design and management of the new aircraft program, known as the 767-X, Boeing said.

Boeing Commercial Airplane Group has signed a final agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., represented by the Japan Aircraft Development Corp. to build major portions of the new Boeing 777 wide-bodied twin jet. . . . Columbus, Ind.-based Cummins Engine Co. reduced its quarterly common stock cash dividend to 5 cents from 55 cents a share, payable June 14 to shareholders of record as of May 31.

A Federal District Court jury in Los Angeles on Tuesday awarded Clayton Jacobson, the inventor of the jet ski, a $21.5-million judgment against Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan and its U.S. subsidiaries. Jacobson, a former Los Angeles resident who now lives in Lake Tahoe, has battled the Japanese company since about 1971, when he first granted them license to manufacture and sell the jet ski, a high-speed, motorized water ski referred to as a "personal watercraft."

In a step toward Japan's goal of developing an aircraft industry, three Japanese manufacturers have reached an agreement to take their largest role ever in development and production of a new U.S. jetliner. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries reached an agreement with Boeing Co.

Boeing said Friday that three Japanese aerospace firms will build 20% of the structure for the firm's next generation commercial jetliner, setting tighter limits on the Japanese role than had been expected. Under a preliminary agreement, the three Japanese firms will not become "equity partners," meaning that they will be excluded from participating in overall design and management of the new aircraft program, known as the 767-X, Boeing said.

Japan and the United States signed an agreement to begin a multibillion-dollar joint venture to develop a state-of-the-art jet fighter for Japan's air defense. The agreement, signed Tuesday, calls for St. Louis-based General Dynamics Corp. and three Japanese companies--Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.--to jointly develop the new fighter based on the General Dynamics F-16.

Hiroshi Noda has been named president of Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. in Irvine. He succeeds Misao Yurikusa, who returns to Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. in Kobe, Japan, as associate director. Before his appointment, Noda was senior manager of the consumer products and components group's sales department for Kawasaki Heavy Industries. He also previously served in a variety of positions at the Irvine headquarters.

The company, the U.S. distributor of Kawasaki motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and Jet Ski watercraft, began construction Thursday on a $10-million, 220,000-square-foot corporate headquarters on 22 acres in Irvine Spectrum, a planned business community near the San Diego and Santa Ana freeways. With its estimated 400 employees, the U.S. subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. of Hyogoken, Japan, is now headquartered in Santa Ana.