Tokyo- Japanese home electronics company Sharp Corp and Italy's largest power company Enel SpA plan to launch a joint venture to develop a number of photovoltaic power plants by the end of 2012, Sharp said Thursday.

The joint business was expected to start in spring, and it plans to build power plants mainly in southern Italy with a total output capacity of 189 megawatts, using thin-film solar cells, the Japanese company said.

Tokyo - Japan's major carmakers on Thursday announced declines in their October exports.

The nation's leading automaker, Toyota Motor Corp, saw its October exports fall 13.7 per cent from the same month a year earlier while exports at Nissan Motor Co dipped 3.2 per cent and Honda Motor Co's exports fell 0.2 per cent.

Toyota's global car production declined 14.7 per cent to 700,146 units and overseas output also dropped 12.5 per cent to 358,198 units.

Its domestic output sank 17 per cent to 341,948 units, and domestic sales dipped 13.7 per cent to 119,999 units.

Tokyo 

Tokyo  - Japan's hottest new idols are busy not only brushing up their appearances, but also their inner beauty by cramming on East Asian history to maintain the title of reki-doru or history-buff idols.

The erudite idol genre grew from the popularity of a Japanese video game focusing on the nation's 15th and 16th centuries war-time era and popular manga comics depicting China's Romance of Three Kingdoms. This has helped boost clientele, according to Japan's business daily, The Nikkei.

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks closed lower Wednesday on renewed concerns about the economy of the United States, a major export market for Japan.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 110.71 points, or 1.33 per cent, to close at 8,213.22. The index gained more than 5 per cent Tuesday after the US government announced a bail-out plan for the struggling Citigroup Inc.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 14.36 points, or 1.73 per cent, at 817.22.

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks ended Wednesday morning trading lower on renewed concerns about the economy of the United States, a major export market for Japan.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 108.27 points, or 1.3 per cent, to trade at 8,215.66. The index gained more than 5 per cent Tuesday after the US government announced a bail-out plan for the struggling Citigroup Inc.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 14.03 points, or 1.69 per cent, at 817.55.