Leading position and brand recognition in Japan's retail market Strong management leadership and ability to quickly implement improvements to operations despite the economic slump Strong performance in shopping center development and services business Business conditions remain difficult, due to deflation, sluggish employment and household income, and an oversupply of stores in the domestic retail business High dependence on debt and a somewhat weak financial base for the current rating will continue for the next one to two years, even if debt is reduced in line with our expectations Aeon Co. Ltd. (A-/Stable/--) owns one of Japan's largest retail networks, which offers various retail formats and leading brand recognition. The company's strong business profile is backed by pursuit of reduced costs
