Tokyo, April 2, 2004 -- JCB Co., Ltd., a leading international payment brand, and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., have announced an agreement to promote tourist demand among JCB cardmembers in Japan through a joint campaign to encourage stays at Starwood hotels and resorts. The campaign will run for 5 months through August, 2004.

The international credit card brand and international hotel company are focusing on strategies to
revitalize global tourism, which has suffered a number of setbacks since the 9-11 terrorist incident. The current campaign is intended to build demand among JCB's more than 40 million cardmembers in Japan by adding benefits for overseas use.

When a cardmember makes a reservation at any hotel in the Starwood Hotels & Resorts group, that includes the St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, and W brands, through JCB Travel Co., Ltd., he or she is automatically entered in a lottery to win Starwood and JCB gift certificates. In addition, JCB cardmembers have a chance to win 50% Off vouchers for stays at selected hotels and resorts in popular destinations such as Hawaii, Seoul, Shanghai and Bali.

JCB is promoting the campaign through multiple customer channels including the JCB home page and cardmember magazines like The Gold which reaches 900,000 priority customers a month in Japan.

About Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 740 properties in more than 80 countries and 110,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwood.com.

About JCB Co., Ltd.
JCB is an international credit card brand and the largest card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding overseas in 1981. Its merchant network includes 11.4 million merchants and spans 189 countries and territories. JCB cards are now issued in 18 countries and territories, with 49.6 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with more than 320 leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and cardmember base. JCB's corporate philosophy of "Service from the heart", a commitment to responsive, high-quality service, continues to guide it as it creates the future together with its customers, merchants and partners. For further information, please visit the JCB Co. Ltd. home page at: www.jcb-global.com/english or www.jcbinternational.com.