AST Plans New Effort in Japan Computer Mart

Although its earlier attempts to crack Japan’s multibillion-dollar computer market have met with limited success, AST Research Inc. said Monday that it is introducing a third personal computer in Japan.

Based on a Japanese-language computing standard developed by International Business Machines Corp., AST’s new model is part of a long-term effort to increase sales in Japan.

“We believe the Japanese will realize the value of computer standards and this will eventually pay off,” said Safi Qureshey, AST’s co-chairman. “The Japanese economy has slowed in the last year, so we are not going crazy with an expansion. But we are continuing to invest in the market.”

The company plans to begin in May to ship its PCvision 4/33 computer, which is based on a speedier microprocessor--or main computing brain--than AST’s earlier versions for the Japanese market. The machine, which will sell for roughly $2,800 (U.S.), will be manufactured in Fountain Valley.

In a move hailed by industry analysts at the time, AST two years ago announced a new PC that was compatible with both the English version of the IBM PC and the Japanese-language standard established by Tokyo-based NEC Corp. AST was the first U.S. computer maker to modify its products to operate with the NEC standard that is dominant in Japan.

AST originally wanted Sharp Corp. to distribute the computer in Japan, but the Japanese electronics giant dropped out of the venture. In October, 1990, AST found three small companies to distribute the machine, but sales have remained small.

In March, 1991, IBM announced that it would license its own Japanese-language computer architecture to other computer makers in a direct challenge to NEC’s standard. AST joined the IBM consortium and formally launched a machine based on the IBM standard last October. To date, 24 computer manufacturers have joined the group.

“The Japanese are very conservative and try to go with a known quality,” said Ian Gilson, an analyst for L.H. Friend, Weinress & Co., an Irvine investment bank. “Nobody from the United States has really penetrated that market. I don’t expect major inroads from AST.”