Tokyo -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 9/29/98 -- Pressures building in the Japanese economy and in the nation's financial system pose a growing, broad-based threat to the credit quality of Japan's industrial sector. This has led Standard&Poor's to undertake a review of 22 corporate ratings, and place the ratings on CreditWatch with negative implications (see list below). The rating reviews will focus on how well each company is positioned to cope with the larger systemic problems plaguing Japan's commercial and industrial sectors. Of particular concern is how firms can maintain their competitiveness and adequate financial profiles to cope with the risks of deflation, contracting demand, and a financial system under strain. Existing ratings could be affirmed, in cases
