hitachi toshiba and sony got together years ago and merged crystal display and made a company called crystal display. now a similar movement. teaming up to preserve next generation technology. creating a thank you research and development company for what is known as organic electroluminescent or oel displays that can be used in tvs and computer. oel are thinner than liquid crystal displays and show chris crisper image but they are expensive to produce. the japanese companies are helpful the technology could be popular in tablets and laptops. sources reveal that executives at sony, pan sonic and japan display have decided to form a new r and d company called jo led. they will have support from a government backed fund. one of the aims is to prevent their technology from leaking to overseas rivals. experts say the companies face the challenge of turning oel displays into practical and profitable products. >>> well the latest data on the japanese economy just came out in june. factories produced less goods. industrial output for the month was down 3.3% from may, falling for the fooirs

those at toshiba and hitachi have acquired power companies that plan to build power plants in britain. >>> japanese workers turn out products known around the world. but much of what they make is imported from abroad. steel from australia for . >>> geepg. i'm tavis smiley. six-time emmy nominee, hugh laurie. the long-running fox series "house." can the copper bottom band performing classic songs from his second blues album. the conversation with hugh laurie coming up right now. ♪

those at toshiba and hitachi acquired power companies that plan to build plants in britain. managers at hitachi are also negotiating to win a contract in lithuania. >>> japanese startup companies have gotten the chance to show off their ideas to big businesses. an expo in tokyo brought the two sides together to explore the possibility for tie-ups. 100 startups in fields such as it, machinery, agriculture and medical services took part. they net with delegates from about 150 large companies. one startup has developed a special speaker for people with hearing problems. and an engineer from a large electronics manufacturer showed some interest. >> translator: many startups are not so capable in terms of manufacturing. so the tie-up will help us both. >> translator: even if we come up with new ideas and products, it is not so easy to grow. so we're hoping to cooperate with large companies. >> government officials have said they want startups to play a key role in reviving the economy. >>> well, millions of tourists flock to japan every year, wander through the ancient sites of k