The $325 million cash transaction was the first Japanese acquisition of an American retailer.

Japanese acquisitions in the United States doubled in 1987, to $5.9 billion, from $2.7 billion in 1986.

The acquisition is part of the museum's $160 million development plan, which will include an expansion of the Asian art galleries to accommodate the Japanese acquisitions.

Most of those Japanese acquisitions were complete bombs, but then most acquisitions fail.

Mr. Goutard has set his sights on a third Japanese acquisition, this time in the auto-electronics business.

The deal also caps a year that has seen Japanese acquisitions of foreign companies skyrocket to their highest level in nearly two decades.

Information on Japanese acquisitions is sketchy.

It was the first Japanese jumbo acquisition of an American company, and the transaction made headlines.

BASF said earlier this week that it planned to make a Japanese acquisition to gain a 1 percent share of the market.

That is why some speculate that the Tiffany deal will be one of many similar Japanese acquisitions.