a 7% rise in sales from a year earlier, daimaru posted a 6.2% increase and hankyu had a 5.2% rise and sogo and seibu was up 4. 9%. snatched up merchandise in ushen areas. the boom was a factor behind sales of high-end watches and luxury brands. >>> japan's i.t. industry is expanding at a fast pace but the engineers can't keep up with the demand. many companies are scouting for talentover seas and finaling the skilled professionals they need in vietnam. >> reporter: in the vietnamese city, a government-sponsored program is underway to near tour i.t. engineers. this university offers computer programming course. officials open 80% of the graduates will land jobs outside vietnam. i.t. companies here are growing quickly thanks to government support. japan companies like this one behind me are trying to fill the gap by hiring qualified vote th vietnamese workers. this company develops software. it has over 200 japanese workers. the company offers lessons to the workers. [speaking foreign language]. >> by 2018, the company plans to train 10,000 engineers and disburse some of them to japan.