an official from the russian company visited kawasaki industries plant on thursday. he said he has looked for gas turbines around the world but found japanese turbines the most reliable. the deal comes at a time when japan/russia political relations have been strained since president dmitry medvedev visited one of the four russian-held islands on none 1st which are claimed by japan. >>> japan's three major consumer lenders reported dismal results for the six months through september. they were hit by tougher rules that include refunding excess interest charged to borrowers. promise, icomm and iful had operating revenue fall between 9% and 33% from the same period last year. promise reported net losses of $40 million mainly due to the introduction of an early retirement system. akom posted losses of more than $530 million as it set aside sizable reserves for future repayments of overcharged interest. akom's president told reporters the real consequences of tougher regulations were yet to come. the firms will not announce full year forecasts. they cite uncertainties ab