Kyodo news summary -7-

(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOKYO, March 6 -- (Kyodo) _ ---------- Japan scores poorly in index of women's socio-economic status SINGAPORE - Japan has one of the lowest scores in the Asia-Pacific in terms of socioeconomic opportunities for women, according to MasterCard's latest Index of Women's Advancement released Wednesday.

Japan was second lowest in the index, which measures the socioeconomic standing of women in 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific.

---------- N. Korea shows some signs of preparing for war PYONGYANG - Some indications of North Korea preparing for a war were observable in the capital Pyongyang on Wednesday, a day after the North threatened to scrap the cease-fire that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Some people were starting to cover up buses and trains with camouflage netting as part of camouflage efforts.

---------- Sharp to accept investment from Samsung, expand LCD panel supply TOKYO - Struggling Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. said Wednesday it will accept 10.38 billion yen in investment from Samsung Electronics Co. this month and increase its supply of liquid crystal display panels to the South Korean electronics giant to rebuild its business.

The deal will give Samsung -- the maker of the Galaxy series of smartphones -- a roughly 3 percent stake in Sharp, and allow Sharp to expand its supply of liquid crystal display panels, including its advanced power-saving "Igzo" LCDs in addition to large-size panels for televisions.

---------- Nestle Japan to open small coffee shops at 250 supermarkets TOKYO - Nestle Japan Ltd. will open small coffee shops at 250 supermarkets across the country this year, company President Kozo Takaoka said Wednesday.

Nestle's move comes at a time when McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) Ltd. and convenience store chains are using coffee as a draw to attract more customers.

---------- Ospreys begin 1st training flights over Japan's main islands TOKYO - The U.S. military started low-altitude training flights of its Osprey aircraft Wednesday over western Japan, marking the planes' first operation over Japan's main islands.

Three of the 12 MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft arrived at the Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture in the afternoon for a three-day training exercise on a route extending from Wakayama Prefecture to the nearby Shikoku region.

---------- Toyota to promote Vice Chairman Uchiyamada to chairman TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will promote Vice Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada to chairman, replacing Fujio Cho, who will become honorary chairman, as part of the automaker's moves to review its decision-making process and business structure.

The management change will be officially approved at a shareholders' meeting in June, the automaker said. Akio Toyoda will continue to serve as president.

---------- Tokyo court says vote disparity in 2012 election unconstitutional TOKYO - The Tokyo High Court ruled Wednesday that the 2.34 times disparity in the weight of votes seen in a single-seat constituency in Tokyo in a House of Representatives election last December is unconstitutional.

The court, however, rejected the demand of plaintiffs that the election in the Tokyo No. 1 constituency be nullified, saying the legislature has taken steps to rectify the zoning of electoral districts to narrow the vote-value gap.

---------- Public viewings of pandas to be suspended amid signs of mating TOKYO - Two giant pandas will be taken away from public view from Thursday because they appear to have entered the mating season, Tokyo's Ueno Zoo said Wednesday.

The zoo operator added it will decide within about two weeks whether to start showing the 7-year-old animals again.

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