Sony said it had begun restoration of its PlayStation Network games service on Sunday, almost a month after a massive security breach.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer faced criticism of his leadership after the consumer electronics giant revealed a second massive security breach.

Sony said it would resume some services on its PlayStation Network this week and offer incentives to customers to prevent them turning to competitors.

Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic will slash 40 000 jobs over the next two years in a bid to pare costs and keep up with competition.

Sony, a laggard in the tablet market, unveiled its first tablet computers in an attempt to grab second place in the market from Apple’s iPad.

A shortage of parts will force Sony to cut production or suspend output at five more plants in Japan following the country’s catastrophic earthquake.

Shares in Japanese manufacturers tumbled in the aftermath of Friday’s earthquake, as companies struggled to gather information from the stricken area.

Sony said it would promote Kazuo Hirai as the head of the company’s biggest division, a realignment that signals he could be a successor to the CEO.