JT Raises Year-End Dividend Forecast to 9,000 Yen

By Kyodo News International, Tokyo

Apr. 25–TOKYO — Japan Tobacco Inc. said Tuesday it plans to pay a year-end dividend of 9,000 yen per share for fiscal 2005 that ended in March, 2,000 yen more than its forecast last October.

The announcement follows JT’s upward revision in February of its group net profit projection to an all-time high of 195 billion yen for the year.

With the revised year-end dividend, the third largest maker of tobacco products in the world will pay a full-year dividend of 16,000 yen for fiscal 2005, up from the previous year’s 13,000 yen.

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