Vodafone could give up its Japanese subsidiary, over performance woes, BBC reports:

Although Vodafone still has nearly 15 million customers in Japan, its customer base has shrunk over the past year amid tough competition and a poor reception for its 3G service.

Profits fell sharply in the past six months while revenues were flat.
…
“Vodafone would shed a unit that it just doesn’t seem able to fix and which certainly does not fit within the profile of the Vodafone investment portfolio.”

Japan is a tough mobile market, IMHO, with mobile services such as TV, video-calling and email as the standard.