from yesterday's Nikkei

日本製紙、豪３位を買収　内需企業、海外に活路　国際M&A業界最大級　円高進行追い風に

Nippon Paper Group Inc. is considering buying Australian Paper as part of efforts to expand its overseas business.Nippon Paper Group is ranked as the second paper maker in Japan and Australian Paper is the third largest paper manufacturer in Australia.This M&A is the largest ever scale.As demand for paper in the domestic market does not expand more,the company has been seking to full-fledgedly advance to foreign countries. The deal this time is done with strong yen's meritused.This is a showcase of efforts of domestic demand-oriented companies facing difficulties in their business operations due to domestic economy's sharp deterioation and declining birthrate. Most of them are seeking growth opportunity in the Asia and Oceania less influenceed by the current financial crisis than other areas.

from today's Nikkei

追加経済対策　公共事業大幅前倒し　政府・与党計画　学校耐震化など急ぐ　民主も独自案

The government and ruling prties on Monday started to deliberate on implementing many kinds of public works projects which are initially expected to be done over more than a year intensively in fiscal 2009 as they were working out the fiscal 2009 extra buget with the aim of implementing additional economic pump-priming measures.They include expansion of optical fiber networks and the works for making public facilities like school buildings earthquake-proof. Given the decline of preliminary gross domestic product from October to December in 2008, they place priority on creation of demand and promotion of employment. Meanwhile, the Demcratic Party of Japan also is planning to draft its own additional economic measures.