Tokyo - Some 45,000 people Wednesday attended the memorial ceremony to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima by the United States.

Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba pledged at the ceremony "to do everything in our power to accomplish the total eradication of nuclear weapons."

Akiba stressed the majority of the states across the world supported the abolition of nuclear weapons, while expressing hope that the next US president would "listen conscientiously to the majority."

Last year 170 nations voted in favour of a resolution introduced at the United Nations by Japan, calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Three nations, including the United States, opposed it.

Tokyo - Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose more than 2 per cent Wednesday on the overnight rebound in the US market.

The Nikkei index rose 287.24 points, or 2.22 per cent, to 13,201.9.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also up 22.22 points, or 1.78 per cent, to 1,269.93.

The Tokyo market sentiment was boosted in morning trading after the US Federal Reserve's assessment that US economic activity expanded in the second quarter helped an overnight rise on Wall Street.

Tokyo - Toyota Motor Corp was

Tokyo - A former executive of a Japanese construction consultancy company was arrested on suspicion of bribing a Vietnamese official with about 300 million yen (2.78 million dollars), media reports

Tokyo - The Japanese government plans to file a protest with China if a report about police brutality against two Japanese journalists was confirmed, media reports said Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said Japan would "protest strongly" if the attack against the journalists was verified.

A Japanese reporter from the Nippon Television Network Corp and a photographer from the Chunichi Shimbun newspaper were detained and beaten by paramilitary police late Monday as they were covering an attack on police by two Uighur men in Xinjiang in north-western China that left 16 officers dead, the two news organizations said.

Tokyo - Tokyo stocks opened modestly higher Tuesday as investors bought export-oriented issues on the US dollar's advance against the yen.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 34.85 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 12,968.03.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was slightly up 0.84 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 1,249.09.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar was quoted at 108.18-23 yen, up from Monday's 5 pm quote of 107.79-80 yen. A weaker yen makes Japanese products cheaper abroad.