JAPAN: A planned merger of Japanese-controlled British...

JAPAN: A planned merger of Japanese-controlled British computer maker ICL with a unit of Finland’s Oy Nokia is another sign of Japan’s effort to crack the tough European market through tie-ups and buyouts. ICL, 80%-owned by Japan’s Fujitsu and 20% by Northern Telecom of Canada, said last week that it will buy Oy Nokia’s Nokia Data division for $400 million on Oct. 1. The deal requires European Community approval. The ICL-Nokia Data merger follows news last month of a possible deal between Japan’s NEC Corp. and France’s state-owned computer maker Cie des Machines Bull. New French Prime Minister Edith Cress, a harsh critic of Tokyo’s trade policies, has warned against European technological dependence on Japan and vowed to examine the deal between Bull and NEC.