Nintendo, maker of the hit Wii game console, said profit for April through December fell 9 percent after price cuts and the rising yen tarnished strong holiday sales. Nintendo reported Thursday a $2.1 billion profit for the nine months through Dec. 31, down from $2.4 billion a year earlier. Sales retreated 23 percent to $13.1 billion.

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Panasonic slumped deep into the red last fiscal year, joining the expanding club of big Japanese brands shell-shocked by their rapid descent from cash cow to money loser. The world’s biggest plasma TV maker Friday reported a $4 billion loss for the fiscal year ended March — its first loss in seven years — and expects to stay in the red in the current year.

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