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Tokyo stocks fall on profit taking after rally, poor economic data

Tokyo stocks fell Thursday with investors increasingly turning to lock in quick profits after the key Nikkei index rose sharply the previous day to an eight-week closing high, while sentiment was soured by sluggish macroeconomic data and renewed worries about Greece's fiscal health. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 102.95 ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 8:00 AM

China rejects Japan's sovereignty claim over Senkaku Islands

China on Thursday rejected Japan's claim to sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, the official Xinhua News Agency said. ''China has indisputable sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islands,'' Xinhua quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang as saying.

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 8:00 AM

Ex-teacher sentenced to 30 yrs in prison for raping pupils

The Hiroshima High Court on Thursday sentenced a 44-year-old former primary school teacher to 30 years in prison for raping and performing lewd acts on at least 10 pupils. In imposing the maximum term of imprisonment for a definite period under Japanese law, the high court said Naoki Morita, who ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 8:00 AM

Tokyo stocks fall in morning on selling for quick gains after rally

Tokyo stocks fell slightly Thursday morning with investors taking quick profits after the key Nikkei index rose sharply the previous day to finish at an eight-week high. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 23.04 points, or 0.21 percent, from Wednesday to 10,823.94. The broader Topix index of all First Section ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 8:00 AM

Tokyo stocks fall on profit taking after rally, poor economic data

Tokyo stocks fell Thursday with investors increasingly turning to lock in quick profits after the key Nikkei index rose sharply the previous day to an eight-week closing high, while sentiment was soured by sluggish macroeconomic data. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 102.95 points, or 0.95 percent, from Wednesday to ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 8:00 AM

Prince Mikasa discharged from hospital after cataract surgery

Prince Mikasa, uncle of Emperor Akihito, was discharged Thursday from St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo after undergoing cataract surgery for his left eye, the Imperial Household Agency said. The 94-year-old prince has been diagnosed as having cataracts in both eyes. He could undergo an operation on his right eye ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 8:00 AM

Japan revises upward key index of economy for January

The Cabinet Office on Thursday revised upward Japan's key gauge of the current state of the economy for January from a preliminary estimate released earlier this month. The composite index of coincident economic indicators for the reporting month now stands at 100.1 against 100 for the base year of 2005, ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 6:59 AM

Shinkin Central Bank to provide 40 bil. yen to 5 credit associations

Japan's Shinkin Central Bank decided Thursday to provide a total of some 40 billion yen to five struggling credit associations, sources familiar with the matter said. The de facto central bank for shinkin banks, small locally based institusions, will give more than 10 billion yen to Kanazawa Shinkin Bank in ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 6:59 AM

Japanese evening newspaper headlines

The following are the headlines of top stories carried by major Japanese newspapers in their Thursday evening editions: -- Police find record 27,751 illegal websites in 2009 (Asahi)

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 6:59 AM

S. Korea, U.S. ends joint military drills

South Korea and the United States ended the main parts of their annual joint military exercise Thursday, with North Korea having shown no unusual military response, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The two countries say the annual ''Key Resolve/Foal Eagle'' exercise is a routine, ''purely defensive'' drill.

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 6:59 AM

12 dead, scores missing in Nepal accident

A dozen people died while scores went missing after a passenger bus plunged nearly 300 meters from a hilly road into a river in western Nepal on Thursday morning, police said. The bus met with the accident in Dailekh district, some 800 kilometers west of Kathmandu. It was traveling from ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 6:59 AM

Bedding supplier chief given 18 years for investment fraud

The founder of the now-defunct Tokyo-based bedding supplier L&G K.K., known for its own ''enten'' quasi-currency, was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in prison for defrauding investors of 327 million yen from 2006 to 2007. Kazutsugi Nami, 76, swindled 31 investors between July 2006 and January 2007 by promising 36 ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 6:59 AM

SBI to set up joint venture with Chinese economic paper

SBI Holdings Inc. said Thursday it will establish a joint venture with the Chinese economic paper China Securities News to provide online Japanese-language services on Chinese economic and financial news. SBI, an investment and financial services company, will set up the joint venture with the Chinese economic paper of China's ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 6:59 AM

Japan's domestic vehicle sales to drop to 33-yr low in FY 2010

Domestic sales of cars, trucks and buses in Japan in fiscal 2010 beginning April are expected to drop 4.9 percent from the previous year to a 33-year low of 4,649,600 units, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday. It would be the lowest level since around 4.23 million units were ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 6:59 AM

Sony, Google, Intel envision easy Net access for TV viewers: report

Sony Corp. is working with Google Inc. and Intel Corp. to develop a technology platform designed to let television users access Internet content easily, The New York Times reported Wednesday in its online edition. Google, the U.S. Net search engine company, envisions making it easy for TV viewers to search ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 5:45 AM

Gov't likely to accept settlement with unrecognized Minamata patients

Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa is set to hold talks with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Thursday afternoon over a possible settlement with patients who are suffering from Minamata mercury poisoning, but have yet to be recognized, according to Ozawa. The move has come after the Kumamoto District Court proposed Monday ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 5:45 AM

EU railway firms call on Japan to play fair

Railway companies in Europe are calling on Japan to open up its market to free competition amid claims Tokyo is creating unnecessary barriers to protect domestic manufacturers. UNIFE, the Association of the European Rail Industry, says Japan is abusing transportation ''operational safety'' clauses in free trade agreements to prevent EU ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 5:45 AM

Japan's domestic auto sales to drop nearly 5% to 33-yr low in FY 2010

Domestic automobile sales in Japan in fiscal 2010 beginning April are expected to drop 4.9 percent from the previous year to a 33-year low of 4,649,600 units, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday. It would be the lowest level since around 4.23 million vehicles were sold in fiscal 1977, ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 4:53 AM

Dollar moves narrowly in lower 90 yen in Tokyo on lack of cues

The U.S. dollar moved narrowly in the lower 90 yen range Thursday morning in Tokyo amid a lack of fresh trading cues after the Bank of Japan's additional monetary easing steps announced the previous day came in line with market expectations. At noon, the dollar was quoted at 90.16-18 yen ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 4:53 AM

Arrangements under way for talks between Okada, Gates in Washington

Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates may meet in Washington later in the month when Okada visits North America for a Group of Eight foreign ministerial meeting, sources close to both sides said Thursday. Okada already has plans to meet U.S. Secretary of State Hillary ...

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 4:53 AM