Tokyo - Tokyo stocks opened lower Thursday as investors sold stocks to lock in profits amid uncertainties over the fate of the US government's financial bailout plan.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined 103.72 points in morning trading, or 0.86 per cent, to 12,011.31.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 10.52 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 1,157.45.

Tokyo players sold a wide range of issues amid concern about when the US Congress would pass a government plan to bail out distressed financial institutions.

Tokyo  - A list of the Japanese coalition government's cabinet members announced Wednesday, with ages:

Prime Minister: Taro Aso, 68

Internal Affairs and Communications Minister (in charge of decentralization of administration): Kunio Hatoyama, 60

Justice Minister: Eisuke Mori, 60

Foreign Minister: Hirofumi Nakasone, 62

Finance Minister and state minister in charge of financial services: Shoichi Nakagawa, 55

Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister: Ryu Shionoya, 58

Health, Labour and Welfare Minister: Yoichi Masuzoe, 59

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister: Shigeru Ishiba, 51

Tokyo - Japan's central bank on Wednesday pumped 1.5 trillion yen (14.22 billion dollars) into money markets, the sixth-straight business day that it had injected money into the economy in the wake of the US banking crisis.

The Bank of Japan's total now comes to 14 trillion yen after it agreed with five other central banks last week to work together to help stem a liquidity crisis that threatens the world economy.

Tokyo - Tokyo stocks fell Wednesday as concerns over US financial markets grew after overnight falls on Wall Street and opposition from some US lawmakers to a bailout plan for the US financial industry.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average dropped 140.19 points, or 1.16 per cent, to 11,950.4.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 15.04 points, or 1.29 per cent, to 1,153.65.

The Bank of Japan on Wednesday injected 1.5 trillion yen (14.22 billion dollars) into the money markets to help free up credit in the wake of the US banking crisis.

Tokyo -

Prague  - Japan and the Czech Republic Tuesday signed a memorandum that paves the way for Japan to buy surplus greenhouse gas emission credits, the Czech Environment Ministry said.

Japan has so far failed to fulfil its obligation under the so- called Kyoto Protocol to cut by 2012 emissions of gases believed to cause global warming by 6 per cent from the
1990 levels.