Four firms from Japan make list of top 25 innovators

NEW YORK (Kyodo) Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nintendo Co. are among the world's 25 most innovative companies, according to the annual special report issued by BusinessWeek magazine.

The magazine's latest edition, published Friday, leaves gadget maker Apple Inc. at the top of the list, followed again by U.S. Internet giant Google Inc.

Toyota Motor came in third, unchanged from 2007.

The U.S. magazine described the automaker as a company "determined to retain its mantle as the hybrid car leader" and referred to its plan to roll out an even more fuel-efficient Prius in 2009.

Ranked seventh, Nintendo landed in the top 25 for the first time. The company's "wildly popular Wii console tapped an entirely new gaming audience," said the magazine.

Sony placed ninth, up from 10th. "With its electronics business healthy and Blu-ray the new DVD standard, Sony's priority is online content," BusinessWeek said.

Honda Motor moved down to 16th from 12th. "Honda will introduce clean diesels, small hybrids, and, in 2010, a private jet that's 30 percent more fuel-efficient," it said.

To determine the list, the Boston Consulting Group asked executives of 2,500 globally operating companies to vote for the most pioneering companies in the last year. More than 2,950 executives responded.