Tokyo  - Japan's Nikkei index slid in early trading Thursday as rising commodity prices dimmed earnings prospects of Japanese companies, while the Topix index gained some ground.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average was down 68.97 points, or 0.79 per cent, at mid-trading, also driven down by emerging opposition in the US Senate to the rescue deal for US carmakers.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues rose 1.98 points, or 0.24 per cent to 836.53.

Tokyo  - Japan's largest carmaker, Toyota Motor Corp, pummeled by sharply falling demand, will cut its global sales target for next year by more than 1 million units to less than 8.5 million, news reports said Thursday.

Toyota expects a prolonged drop in demand in 2009 in Europe and the United States, while sales are expected to remain flat in Japan, the Nikkei business daily said.

Sales in the United States dropped by 34 per cent in November.

Tokyo - The Toyota iQ is heading for European showrooms in January 2009, challenging the Smart Fortwo and Fiat 500 in the microcar segment with an entry level price of 12,700 euros (16,338 dollars).

Measuring just under three metres in length, the iQ is 29 cm longer than the Smart but seats four people.

Average fuel consumption is listed at 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres with carbon dioxide emissions under 100 grams per kilometre. The three-cylinder engine has an output of 68 hp with a top speed of 150 km/h.

Tokyo  - Stocks in Japan were up slightly on Wednesday despite bad news about the state of the country's economy and businesses.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average was up 95.68 points, or 1.14 per cent, at mid-trading, as traders pin their hope on fiscal stimulus packages around the world.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues rose 0.56 per cent to 822.5.

Tokyo  - Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp announced Tuesday plans to cut 8,000 jobs worldwide as a result of the global economic crisis.

The world's second-largest maker of consumer electronics hopes to save more than 100 billion yen (1.1 billion dollars) by the measure, which affects about 4 per cent of its
160,000-strong global workforce.

The job cuts, which go with plans to scale back investments and pull out of some business sectors, will be made at the beginning of the next business year on April 1, 2009, the company said.

Tokyo  - Japanese stocks rose Tuesday despite a revised government estimate outlining an annualized third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) decline of 1.8 per cent.

Driven up by gains on Wall Street and a rally in commodities, the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average closed up 66.82 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 8,395.87.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues rose 5.86 points, or 0.72 per cent to 817.94.

On currency markets at midday (0300 GMT), the dollar was quoted at 92.75-80 yen, compared to Monday's 5 pm quote of 93.01-03 yen.