Tokyo - Toshiba Corp on Tuesday reported a net loss of 26.9 billion yen (284.31 million dollars) in the three months through September 30 as flash memory prices continued to fall, compared to a net profit of 25 billion yen a year earlier.

The Japanese electronics company logged an operating profit of 700 million yen during the second quarter of the year through March 31, down from 61.3 billion yen during the same month a year before.

Sales were 1.88 trillion yen, down from 2.03 trillion yen.

Tokyo - Tokyo stocks surged nearly 8 per cent Wednesday, on the back of Wall Street's overnight rally and the dollar's advance against the yen, sending the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average above 8,000.

The Nikkei rose 589.98 points, or 7.74 per cent, to end at 8,211.9.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was up 46.29 points, or 5.9 per cent, at 830.32.

The Tokyo market sentiment was buoyed also by speculations that the Bank of Japan is considering an interest-rate cut to help stabilize the market.

Tokyo - Japan's industrial output rose 1.2 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms in September, compared to the previous month, the government said Wednesday.

The September growth was supported by automobile, machinery and electronics device sectors, but the government downgraded its assessment, estimating overseas demand for Japanese products would slowdown amid the global financial crisis.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expected the output to fall 2.3 per cent in October and 2.2 per cent in November.

Tokyo - Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average continued to rise in early trading Wednesday, again topping the 8,000 mark.

Tokyo - Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average recovered the 8,000 level Wednesday morning after it hit a 26-year low the day before.

Tokyo  - Britain's Prince Charles on Tuesday called for concerted efforts to build a low-carbon society to combat global warming while on a visit to Japan.

"We must not abandon the drive towards a low-carbon economy," the prince of Wales said in a speech marking the 150th anniversary of bilateral relations between Japan and Britain.

He arrived in Tokyo late Monday with his wife, Camilla, for a five-day visit.

The prince called climate change "the biggest challenge our planet has ever seen."

He said that even as the world now faces a financial crisis, it should not divert attention and efforts from protecting the earth.