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Japan Hot Stocks-Mizuho, brokers, Anrakutei, Mars Engineering

TOKYO, March 18 (Reuters) - The following stocks are on the move on Tuesday. **MIZUHO FALLS TO LOWEST SINCE RE-LISTING ON MARCH 12**

Mizuho Financial Group Inc ends down 1.02 percent at 97,100 yen, its lowest close since the re-listing of Mizuho's stock on the Tokyo Stock Exchange last Wednesday. Mizuho Holdings Inc was delisted after its last day of trade on March 5.

Mizuho fell 8.4 percent on Monday after Japan's Deposit Insurance Corp said last Friday that six financial institutions would return about 675 billion yen in public funds they received in early 1998. Mizuho was absent from that list.

"Other banks came off highs in the afternoon and I see Mizuho's fall as part of that trend. I see no fundamental reason behind today's fall," said Hironari Nozaki, a bank analyst at HSBC.

"Yesterday, however, Mizuho's stock was hurt by the fact that it was one of only a few banks not to return public funds." 0600 GMT **NIKKO , BROKERS UP WITH MARKET, NSSB PENALTY NEAR**

Nikko Cordial Corp up 7.64 percent at 338 yen, snapped up with other brokerage houses as investors bet a swift and decisive U.S.-led attack would improve the outlook for the global economy, and in turn lift the stock market.

The brokerage sector subindex was up 5.66 percent, the best performer so far on the day.

Nikko's rise came despite news in the afternoon that the Financial Services Agency would announce a penalty against Nikko Salomon Smith Barney (NSSB), an investment banking unit owned by Citigroup Inc by Nikko, for manipulating stock prices.

The announcement, to be made at 0630 GMT, had been expected after the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission said earlier this month it would seek a penalty. 0525 GMT **ANRAKUTEI JUMPS ON HIGHER PROFIT FORECAST**

Anrakutei Co up 5.62 percent at 694 yen after the operator of "yakiniku", or barbecued beef, restaurants said during the afternoon that it expects a group net profit of 800 million yen ($6.7 million) in the current year to March 31 on sales of 33.25 billion yen.

The company had previously anticipated a net profit of 120 million yen on sales of 33.80 billion. It said improving margins and a special profit linked to the sale of a subsidiary were behind the upward revision to the net profit estimate. 0500 GMT **MARS ENGINEERING DIVES ON LOSS WARNING**

Mars Engineering Corp down 14.63 percent at 2,335 yen after the maker of computer systems for pachinko parlors said on Monday it expects a group net loss of 369 million yen ($3.11 million) in 2002/03 due in part to a big special loss on the sale of fixed assets.

The firm previously forecast a net profit of 4.3 billion yen.

Mars also cut its sales outlook for the current year to March 31 to 24.32 billion yen from 26.6 billion yen. 0441 GMT **NIKON UP WITH PEERS, BETTER OUTLOOK FOR 2003/04**

Nikon Corp up 5.88 percent at 882 yen, rising with its peers in the tech sector following a rally on Wall Street and after the company said it expects sales and profits to improve in 2003/04 on brisk demand for digital cameras and a chip sector recovery. Nikon declined to confirm profit forecasts for the business year from April 1 reported by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper, although a spokesman said a nine billion yen ($75 million) figure for consolidated current profit was "on the right track".

The company expects to break even this year.

Nikon, which vies with Dutch rival ASML Holding NV for the title of the world's largest maker of steppers that etch circuitry onto microchips, expects the weak chip market to start to turn around late in the next business year. 0405 GMT **TEIKOKU OIL DOWN ON DRILLING FAILURE, OIL PRICE FALL**

Teikoku Oil Co Ltd, Japan's second-largest oil and gas producer, down 3.16 percent at 429 yen on news of its failed exploration of offshore fields in Azerbaijan.

A Japanese oil consortium including Teikoku said on Monday that it was unable to find oil or gas reserves to justify commercial development of the fields where the group has spent $100 million on drilling two exploration wells.

The stock also came under pressure from falling oil prices. Rival AOC Holdings Inc down 2.67 percent at 583 yen after ending the previous session at a four-week high. 0200 GMT **MITSUI O.S.K. UP WITH PEERS AFTER OIL PRICES FALL**

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd, Japan's second-biggest shipping firm, up 8.18 percent at 291 yen, helping send the sea transport sector subindex up 4.56 percent.

Falling oil prices after U.S. President George W. Bush warned war with Iraq could be near eased fears that higher costs due to heightened security concerns would slash profits at shipping firms. 0200 GMT **KENWOOD UP 10 PCT AFTER DAIWA RATES IT "2"**

Kenwood Corp, an audio equipment maker, up 15 yen or 10.64 percent at 156 yen, the biggest percentage gainer on the first section. Daiwa Institute of Research said on Tuesday that the company's revitalisation plan was making good progress. It started coverage of the stock with a "2" rating, meaning it expects the share to outperform the TOPIX index by five to 15 percentage points over the next six months. 0050 GMT **MITSUI ENGINEERING UP AS IT RESUMES PAYING DIVIDEND**

Shipbuilder Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co Ltd up eight yen or 9.41 percent at 93, far outperforming a 1.99 percent rise in the Nikkei average .

On Monday, the company said it planned to resume paying dividend from the current business year ending this month, either two or three yen per share, depending on market conditions. 0030 GMT **SSP UP ON LAUNCH OF FIRST TRUE OTC SLEEPING PILL**

SS Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (SSP) up 4.68 percent at 671 yen after Japan's second-biggest maker of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs said on Monday it would release Japan's first true sleeping pill in April to widen the firm's product lineup. SSP is taking advantage of a plan mapped out by the Health Ministry in November to expand the OTC drugs market by approving more OTC medicines for a wide range of illnesses as the nation copes with ballooning medical costs.

Japan already has some OTC drugs that help people relax, making it easier for them to sleep, but the SSP pill is the first to actually induce sleep. 0019 GMT **SONY , EXPORTERS UP AS WALL ST JUMPS ON WAR OPTIMISM** Consumer electronics giant Sony Corp up 170 yen or 4.01 percent at 4,410, rising with other exporters amid hopes that any negative impact on the U.S. economy from a potential war is likely to be limited.

Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd , the world's second-largest maker of photographic film, up 1.97 percent at 3,620 yen and Toyota Motor Corp , Japan's biggest auto maker, up 2.74 percent at 2,810.

Investors flocked to these issues following a massive rally on Wall Street on expectations that a swift and decisive U.S.-led military strike on Iraq will start within days. 0013 GMT ($1=118.62 yen)