Mahathir has also ventured into a bakery business with a Japanese partner.

Our Japanese partner has no right to increase its shareholding.

"Before the year is out, we'd love to see something happen," he said about his search for a Japanese partner.

Our Japanese partners looked at us as a wholly owned enterprise.

Businessland believes its Japanese partners will forestall any such problem.

The company then had to find a Japanese partner to help pick up and deliver packages within Japan.

Attracting the new equity investors is clearly gratifying for him, even though he has had to turn to a Japanese partner.

For people had no difficulty determining what it was that the Seattle group and its Japanese partners wanted.

If we don't get something within the next two or three weeks, sayonara, as my Japanese partners say.

They say they are being offered too small a share in a merged company, which would have six Japanese partners.