TOKYO (Standard&Poor's) Nov. 29, 2010--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services today assigned its preliminary 'BBB' debt rating to the shelf registration for senior unsecured bonds issued by Toshiba Corp. (Toshiba; BBB/Stable/A-2). Toshiba is Japan's second-largest diversified electronics manufacturer after Hitachi Ltd. (BBB+/Stable/A-2). The ratings on Toshiba reflect its solid business franchise and stable profitability in the social infrastructure segment, including power generation and medical equipment. The ratings also reflect Toshiba's strong competitiveness in the NAND flash memory market, backed by its technological strength and enhanced production system, as well as good access to capital markets and very strong bank support. On the other hand, Toshiba's core semiconductor business and profit are susceptible to market fluctuations. Toshiba faces a consistently
