Tokyo and Taipei, August 11, 2004 - JCB, the major international payment brand, Taiwan's Macoto Bank and Japan Asia Airways (JAA) are pleased to announce a strategic alliance in which Macoto Bank started issuing the JAA/JCB Card in July. JAA, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines Corporation (JAL) operating between Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, selected the JCB brand to enhance the versatility of their mileage program for their first co-brand international credit card in Taiwan. JCB will share marketing opportunities with JAA's frequent flier program business unit, and also support Macoto Bank in new markets.

"We are very pleased to join forces with Macoto Bank and JAA, two Asian market leaders that share our commitment to quality and customer services", said Mr. Osamu Hino, General Manager of JCB International (Taiwan) Co., Ltd. "Above all, JAA's exclusive relationship with JCB, combined with Macoto Bank's stability and leading edge in marketing strategy, perfectly complements our strong leadership in the market in Taiwan." he added.

The new Macoto Bank issued JAA/JCB card offers the global acceptance of every JCB card, while enabling JAA customers to earn mileage rewards that they may exchange for ticket awards with JAL Group and other partner airlines, upgrade awards on JAL Group flights, free hotel accommodation awards, a 10% discount for in-flight purchases on JAL Group international flights, and other premiums.

"As of last year, Taiwan ranked second in the number of tourists to Japan, although there was some decline after the outbreak of SARS. With all of these people traveling from Taiwan to Japan our specialized services focusing on travel to Japan is expected to create unrivaled benefits for our JAA/JCB cardmembers in Taiwan", said Mr. Itaru Ogara, Director at JAA Taipei.

Macoto Bank's experience and expertise in the local market helped JCB create an exciting new and unique credit card that offers JAA/JCB cardmembers special rewards combined with quality service and competitive terms.

"We at Macoto Bank can reward JAA/JCB cardmembers for their loyalty and help them make the most of JAA services, a key principle of our on-going customer relationship management strategy. And with JCB, we can create a wealth of global cross-promotional activities across various JAA businesses", said Mr. Frank Hung, President of Macoto Bank.

Co-brand cards have experienced spectacular growth in Taiwan during the last five years. Co-brand card products have been developed across many different sectors, including retailers, petrol companies and financial services, and are estimated to account for almost 50 percent of cards on issue. In a competitive Taiwanese market, the new JAA/JCB cards will be marketed aggressively through TV commercial ads, newspapers and magazines, and various other channels. The target market is approximately 9 million in Taiwan, and the partners anticipate issuance of more than 30,000 cards in the first year.

JCB opened its representative office in Taiwan in 1993, and also issued the first JCB credit card in Taiwan in 1994, a significant milestone in its long-standing commitment to Taiwan and the Asian market. The launch of the JAA/JCB card is another major step forward for JCB's presence in Taiwan.

About Japan Asia Airways (JAA)
JAA was established in 1975 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan Airlines Corporation (JAL) to operate between Japan and Taiwan. Following an agreement between Japan and China (People's Republic), the Japanese flag carrier would be permitted to fly to mainland China only if it ceased its services to Taiwan. These were discontinued immediately after the agreement in April 1974, but JAL through Japan Asia took up the broken link by opening a route to Taipei in September 1975. For more information on JAA, please visit at: http://www.japanasia.co.jp/index2.html (Japanese Only)

About Macoto Bank
Macoto Bank devotes itself to taking more careful measures to ensure quality services and to maintain prosperous growth in the future. Macoto is a Japanese word meaning sincerity and honesty, but derives from the abbreviation of "Making Communities Together". As for its unique corporate identity system, Macoto Bank is putting more effort than ever before into the area of financial expertise and services around the globe. For more information about Macoto Bank, please visit us at: http://www.macotobank.com.tw/english/index_e.htm

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 11.7 million merchants and spans 189 countries and territories. JCB cards are now issued in 18 countries and territories, with 51.6 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 and 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.