Tokyo  - They are as soft as silk, no larger than half a thumb, and conquer Japanese hearts every spring: cherry blossoms, known in Japan as "sakura."

Anticipation starts building across the country in February. When the first buds open in the south-west, national euphoria breaks out. Newspapers follow the north-easterly advance of the flower front until millions upon millions of the delicate blossoms adorn the Japanese archipelago.

Tokyo  - Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average hit a three-month low Tuesday amid worries over US automakers' restructuring plans, which are to be submitted to Congress later in the day in Washington.

The Nikkei dropped to 7,637.49, down 112.68 points, or 1.45 per cent, from the previous day's close.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was down 11.9 points, or 1.55 per cent, to 758.2.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 91.70-75 yen, up from Monday's 5 pm quote of 91.56-58 yen.

Tokyo  - Japan's economy contracted at an annual pace of 12.7 per cent in the October-to-December quarter, its worst drop since the oil crisis 35 years ago, amid a record decline in exports, the government said Monday.

The contraction in the world's second-largest economy was larger than economists had expected and came amid a 13.9-per-cent drop in exports, due to recessions in the US and Europe that cut demand for Japanese cars and electronics.

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks opened lower Monday after new data showed Japan's economy contracted sharply in the final quarter of 2008 and the yen rose against the dollar, dampening hopes for export recovery.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped about 1 per cent to 7,701.65 points, while the broader Topix index slid 0.2 per cent, to 763.35 52.80 points.

Japan's GDP shrank 3.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, the steepest drop in more than 30 years, as the world's second-largest economy is mired in recession after three straight negative quarters.

Tokyo  - Amidst an unprecedented decline in exports, Japan's economy shrank drastically in the most recent quarter at an annualized rate of 12.7 per cent, the hardest drop in 35 years.

The government released the information as part of its initial estimate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth between October and December 2008.

Exports dropped 13.9 per cent, pulled down by the global economic crisis and plunging demand for Japanese cars and electronics.