We can learn from the beginning of the text that W

单项选择题

On Mar. 14, when Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced its first foray into Japan, the Bentonville (Ark.) retailing giant placed a big bet that it could succeed where countless other foreign companies have failed. In the past five years, a number of famous Western brands have been forced to close up shop after failing to catch on in Japan, one of the world’s largest--but most variable--consumer markets.
May Wal-Mart make a go of it where others have stumbled One good sign is that the mass marketer is not rushing in blindly. It has taken an initial 6.1% stake in ailing food-and-clothing chain Seiyu Ltd. , which it can raise to a controlling 33.4% by yearend and to 66.7% by 2007. That gives Wal-Mart time to revise its strategy--or run for the exits.
The question is whether Wal-Mart can apply the lessons it has learned in other parts of Asia to Japan. This, after all, is a nation of notoriously finicky consumers--who have become even more so since Japan slipped into a decade-long slump. How will Wal-Mart bring to bear its legendary cost-cutting savvy in a market already affected by falling prices Analysts are understandably skeptical. "It is uncertain whether Wal-Mart’s business models will be effective in Japan," Standard & Poor’s said in a Mar. 18 report.
Much depends on whether Seiyu turns out to be a good partner. The 39-year-old retailer is a member of the reputed Seibu Saison retail group that fell on hard times in the early ’90s. It also has deep ties to trading house Sumitomo Corp. , which will take a 15% stake in the venture with Wal-Mart. Perhaps the best thing that can be said of Seiyu’s 400-odd stores is that they’re not as deeply troubled as other local retailers. Still, there’s a gaping chasm between the two corporate cultures. "We’ve never been known for cheap everyday pricing," says a Seiyu spokesman. Another potential problem is Sumitomo, which may not want to lean on suppliers to the extent that Wal-Mart routinely does.
The clock is ticking. Wal-Mart executives say they need several months to "study" the deal with Seiyu before acting on it, but in the meantime a new wave of hyper-competitive Japanese and foreign rivals are carving up the market. If Wal-Mart succeeds, it will reduce its reliance on its home market even further and--who knows --it may even revolutionize Japanese retailing in the same way it has in the U. S.

We can learn from the beginning of the text that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will

A．revolutionize Japanese retailing.
B．tap consumer markets in Japan.
C．combine and become bigger.
D．withdraw from markets in Japan.