(FORTUNE Magazine) – NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Va. 22161 (703) 487-4650 This agency of the Department of Commerce provides on-line, microfiche, and printed directories, abstracts, and selected translations of Japanese technical journals, as well as U.S. government assessments of Japanese research and product development in such fields as superconductivity, semiconductors, and biotech.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 1800 G Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20550 (202) 357-9558 NSF administers a set of programs that support scientific cooperation with Japan, including seminars, language study, and research stays at Japanese university, government, and corporate laboratories. NSF maintains a Tokyo office and sends teams of U.S. scientists to visit and evaluate Japanese labs.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER INSTITUTE 516 Fifth Avenue New York, N.Y. 10036 (212) 719-5771 This technology and business consulting firm works closely with Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. It helps arrange visits of study groups to Japan and gives advice on access to Japanese technological information resources. It also publishes reports on the progress of a number of Japanese industries.

JAPAN EXTERNAL TRADE ORGANIZATION 1221 Sixth Avenue New York, N.Y. 10020 (212) 997-0400 This nonprofit, government-supported institution provides specialized market information on Japan and publishes New Technology Japan, a monthly that reports on new technical developments. The agency also makes introductions to Japanese companies for Americans interested in technical exchanges.

NIKKEI TELECOM Suite 1802 1221 Sixth Avenue New York, N.Y. 10020 (212) 512-3600 Provides on-line access to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's Wall Street Journal, and its weekly English version, the Japan Economic Journal, as well as the English-language Japan Times, major Japanese dailies, and wire services. All offer extensive coverage of new products and corporate research strategies.

COMLINE NEWS SERVICE 10601 S. De Anza Blvd. Cupertino, Calif. 95014 (408) 257-9956 Prepares on-line, hard-copy, fax, or electronic-mail English-language summaries of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and other financial and industrial periodicals within hours of publication -- as well as daily printed digests of Japanese press reports focusing on industries such as electronics, biotech, and factory automation.

SCAN C2C Suite 800 500 E Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20024 (202) 863-3850 Provides on-line access through the Dialog information-retrieval network to abstracts and translations of 500 Japanese scientific and business journals, including company reports not always otherwise obtainable by the general public. Some 180,000 abstracts are available, going back to 1985.

HITACHI 50 Prospect Avenue Tarrytown, N.Y. 10591 (914) 332-5800 Produces two quarterly publications: Hitachi Technology, which showcases research in Hitachi labs, and Hitachi Gain, which focuses only on semiconductors and integrated circuits. (Other companies, including NEC, Sumitomo Electric, and Toshiba, also publish journals in English describing their research activities.)