For Immediate Release

*AEON/JCB Travel Card

Tokyo and Hong Kong, July 15 2004 - JCB, a major international payment brand, is pleased to announce that JCB International Co., Ltd. has signed a license agreement with AEON Credit Service (Asia), the leading non-bank credit card company in Hong Kong. AEON Credit Service (Asia) is a subsidiary of Japan's AEON Credit Service Co., Ltd. and a member of the AEON Group. AEON will begin issuing the AEON/JCB Travel Card today.

The new AEON/JCB Travel Card makes the most of the two companies' ties to Japan by giving cardmembers special offers at merchants in Japan, exclusive low-price tours to Japan. The card design itself features a kabuki motif, one of Japan's traditional performing arts. The card's unique Japan-focused features are added benefits to global acceptance of the JCB brand, access to JCB Plaza customer service centers in 31 popular destinations around the world and the wide variety of other value-added benefits available to all JCB cardmembers.

"Hong Kong has been a major target market since JCB started business. And as of last year, Hong Kong ranked fifth in the number of tourists to Japan, although it had suffered some decline after the outbreak of SARS. And now the fact that a visa for entry into Japan is no longer required means we will see a lot more travelers from Hong Kong, so that specialized services focusing on Japan will be appreciated more," said Mr. Hiroshi Takahashi, Managing Director of JCB International (Asia) Limited. "We think that now is the time to respond actively to this trend, and the AEON/JCB Travel Card is a strategy to not only grab the attention of Hong Kong residents who are already in the habit of coming to Japan, but also to encourage new interest in Japan."

The AEON/JCB Travel Card will be advertised aggressively in newspapers and magazines, on the subway system and buses, and through various other channels to reach the target market of approximately 3,400,000 in Hong Kong. AEON and JCB anticipate that more than 10,000 cards will be issued in the first year alone. In addition, the JCB brand will become even more widely accepted in the region from November when the Bank of East Asia joins the network of JCB acquiring partners in Hong Kong, making the AEON/JCB Card that much more widely accepted for local use by cardmembers as well.

AEON Credit Service (Asia) is the third major card issuer to receive a license for issuing the JCB Card in Hong Kong, following HSBC and Hang Seng Bank. JCB began expanding globally as an international credit card brand by opening its first overseas subsidiary in Hong Kong in 1981, and the first JCB Card issuing program outside Japan was launched in partnership with HSBC four years later in 1985. The new agreement with AEON Credit Service (Asia) confirms JCB's long-standing commitment to Hong Kong.

About AEON Credit Service (Asia) Co., Ltd.
AEON Credit Service (Asia) Co., Ltd. (the "Company") is a subsidiary of AEON Credit Service Co., Ltd. ("AEON Credit Japan") and a member of the AEON Group. AEON Credit Japan is one of the leading consumer finance services companies in Japan and is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Company's history in Hong Kong began in November 1987, when AEON Credit Japan set up its branch office in the territory. The Company initially provided hire purchase services particularly for household merchandise and other consumer products. In 1988, the Company introduced vehicle financing services and expanded its services to personal loans in October 1990. In 1993, AEON became the first non-bank in Hong Kong to issue credit cards and currently has about 720,000 cardmembers, the leader in the non-bank segment.ˇˇThe Company is a public limited company listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.ˇˇFor more information, please visit at: www.aeon.com.hk/web/frame/new.htm.

About JCB Co., Ltd.
JCB is an international credit card brand and the largest card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding overseas in 1981. Its merchant network includes 11.7 million merchants and spans 189 countries and territories. JCB cards are now issued in 18 countries and territories, with 51.6 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with more than 320 leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and cardmember base.
JCB's corporate philosophy of "Service from the heart", a commitment to responsive and high-quality service, continues to guide it as it creates the future together with its customers, merchants and partners. For further information, please visit the JCB Co. Ltd. home page at:
www.jcb-global.com/english or www.jcbinternational.com.

History of JCB in Hong Kong:
1981    JCB International (Asia) Ltd. established
1985    Acquiring and issuing license granted to HSBC
1994    JCB Card issuing program, JCB International (Asia) Ltd.
1998    Acquiring license granted to Hang Seng Bank
2003    Acquiring license granted to Bank of East Asia
2004    JCB Card issuing program, Hang Seng Bank