Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks opened modestly higher Monday as investors bought back battered shares, but gains were capped due to anxiety over the slowdown of Japan's economic growth.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average edged up 98.8 points, or 1.17 per cent, to 8,561.19.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also up 6.31 points, or 0.75 per cent, to 853.22.

The government announced Monday that the nation's economy shrank at an annualized rate of 0.4 per cent in real terms in the July-September period.

Washington  - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said Saturday in Washington that he looked forward to working with US president- elect Barack Obama.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Group of 20 nations to address the world economic crisis, Aso was asked about his thoughts on Obama.

"Obama-san?" he asked, before saying they had spoken over the phone since the November 4 election. And though it was difficult to know much about his personality from the brief discussion, Aso said that Obama appeared to show an interest in Asia.

Mar del Plata, Argentina - The Japanese film Still Walking from director Hirokazu Kore-eda Saturday received the prestigious Golden Astor as best film of the 23rd International Film Festival in Argentina's Atlantic coastal town of Mar del Plata .

A second prize also went to Japan: Kiyoshi Kurosawa received a Silver Astor for best direction in his film, Tokyo Sonata.

Tokyo - Japan, China and South Korea agreed at the Group of 20 summit to enhance bilateral currency swap between Tokyo and Beijing to help Seoul stay afloat in the global financial crisis, Japanese media said Saturday.

A joint statement said the three nations agreed to "explore an increase in the size of bilateral currency swap arrangements" among them.

The deal was mainly aimed at helping South Korea fend off the financial crisis since the won has faced selling pressure as foreign investors withdrew capital.

Tokyo  - Japan agreed to provide 2 billion dollars to launch a fund with the World Bank to help recapitalize struggling financial institutions, especially in developing nations.

The World Bank was expected to contribute 1 billion dollars to the fund, according to a statement released Friday at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Washington.

The leaders of 20 developed and emerging economies gathered in Washington for a two-day summit to discuss ways to address the global financial crisis.