Tokyo - Stocks in Tokyo surged in Monday morning trading on speculation that US automakers would receive a government bail-out and on the rise of the dollar against the yen.

The developments outweighed the biggest drop in business confidence among Japan's largest manufacturers in 34 years because analysts said the drop was expected and the market had already factored it in.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 390.13 points, or 4.74 per cent, to trade at 8,626.

Tokyo  - Business confidence among Japan's largest manufacturers fell the most in 34 years, the Bank of Japan's quarterly Tankan survey revealed Monday.

An index that measures confidence among the largest makers of cars and electronics dropped to minus 24 from minus three, according to the survey. The decrease of 21 points is the largest since February 1975, but analysts said it was expected.

This indicates that many companies are likely to slash more jobs and drastically lower spending, which will push the economy into a deeper recession.

Tokyo - Mexican club Pachuca rallied from 2-0 down to beat Al Ahly of Egypt 4-2 in extra time on Saturday for a place in the Club World Cup semi-finals.

There they meet South American champions Liga de Quito of Ecuador on Wednesday.

Pachuca fell behind in the 28th minute from an own goal by Fausto Pinto and were down 2-0 on the stroke of halftime when Flavio fired high into the net on the counter in Tokyo's Olympic stadium.

But Pachuca's dominance throughout the match then showed, and they levelled matters from curling free-kicks by second-half substitute Luis Montes in the 47th and Christian Gimenez in the 73rd.

Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso announced a 23- trillion-yen (255-billion-dollar) assistance package for the country's economy on Friday, while warning of a sharpening of the country's recession and a possible re-emergence of deflation.

Consumer confidence in the world's second-largest economy fell to a record low in November, and unemployment is rising at its fastest rate since the "lost decade" of deflation in the 1990s.

The current series of measures is partly aimed at shoring up the status of the approximately one-third of Japanese workers with temporary or part-time contracts.

Tokyo  - Stocks in Japan dropped in early trading Friday, dragged down by opposition to the US car industry bail-out plan by conservative lawmakers in the US Senate.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average was down 110.31 points, or 1.27 per cent, to 8,610 at mid-trading, also affected by the yen strengthening against the dollar.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues declined by 6.06 points, or 0.71 per cent, to 843,19.

Tokyo - Humanoid robot guides are being used at a shopping mall in the Japanese city of Osaka to give consumers "a helping hand".

Standing 114 centimetres tall, "Robovie II" whirrs up to customers with tips on where to shop. It can tell from the way they walk whether shoppers have gone astray or are hesitant about entering a particular store, said Takaati Akimoto. He heads the ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories in Seika, which developed the droid.