Nikkei 225 Futures

We recently bought a TV with a built-in DVD player. It's a 28" "Naiko." I don't know exactly where it comes from because there are no markings on it, but the brand name gives away the origin: only the Chinese are capable of combining Nikon and Seiko to come up with the sophisticated-sounding Naiko. This TV/DVD combo cost less than $500, including the dreaded 17.5% Value-Added Tax.

When we were in Chicago we were on the verge of buying this Sony, but then we got the opportunity to move here for a couple of years and scrapped those plans. If we had stayed in America we would have bought that model without a doubt. The Sony TV (without DVD) costs about $2,000.

But many consumers aren't willing or able to buy high-end products and are content to buy a Naiko. Think about the pricing pressures that Japanese exporters are feeling from places like Korea and China. You have to be worried about the profitability of those Japanese electronics manufacturers like Sony, right? Godzilla is surrounded by small but fierce opponents and I expect he'll be toppled in time.

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