September, 2003

Tokyo, Japan, September 17, 2003 - The JCB international credit card brand is conducting a campaign with Ishimaru Denki and Yamagiwa Tokyo in Tokyo's famed Akihabara electronics district aimed at increasing sales to foreign tourists and visitors. The JCB Akihabara 10% Cash Back campaign runs from September 16 through October 31.

JCB, as Japan's only international credit card brand, is developing strategies to stimulate credit card purchasing by inbound tourists to boost the Japanese economy by utilizing its cardmember base in 17 countries and territories outside Japan, and its own independently acquired domestic merchant network. The current campaign in conjunction with the famed Ishimaru Denki and Yamagiwa Tokyo stores is designed to appeal to tourists, in particular from Asia, who visit Akihabara in large numbers to buy electronics goods.

Anyone who makes a purchase at Ishimaru Denki or Yamagiwa Tokyo during the campaign with a JCB card issued outside of Japan will receive 10% cash back on the purchase price. In addition to in-store displays in English, Chinese and Korean, JCB is actively promoting the campaign through its own customer channels. Information about the campaign is being sent to JCB cardmembers worldwide through its issuers, while cardmembers in Korea and Taiwan - who are the majority of visitors to Japan - are being targeted by additional advertising at travel agencies as well as through a multi-language Internet site.

The number of tourists who visit Japan from other Asian countries continues to grow, exceeding more than 5 million in 2002. While there has been a significant drop this year due to the impact of SARS, with the lifting of WHO's SARS-related travel advisories at the beginning of July, that month saw almost the same number of tourists as last year, down only 2.7%, a surprisingly early recovery. Further growth can be expected as a result of the Japanese government's current "Visit Japan' campaign. JCB is planning to make this most of these trends, and is currently preparing for future promotions.

About the JCB Akihabara 10% Cash Back campaign :
The campaign runs from September 16 to October 31 2003. When a JCB card issued outside of Japan is used to make a purchase at Ishimaru Denki (all branches) or at Yamagiwa Tokyo main store, the cardmember will receive 10% cash back on the purchase price in the form of a credit to their card account.

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