Tokyo - Japan's foreign reserves exceeded 1 trillion dollars at the end of July, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.

The nation's July foreign reserves rose 3.11 billion dollars from the previous month, thanks to rises in the appraisal value of the nation's foreign securities, the ministry said.

Japan held 865.27 billion dollars in foreign securities, up from 859.25 billion dollars a month earlier.

Foreign currency deposits totaled 111.68 billion dollars.

Tokyo - Japan's key machinery orders marked the first fall in three months in June, the government said Thursday.

Core machinery orders declined 2.6 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms in June from the previous month, the Cabinet Office said.

The figure was better than an average market expectation of a 9.9-per-cent fall.

Orders from manufacturers rose a seasonally adjusted 3.9 per cent from May to 512.3 billion yen (4.71 billion dollars), and those from non-manufacturers dropped 3.3 per cent to 603.1 billion yen.

Compared to the same month a year before, orders in June grew by unadjusted 9.7 per cent to 1.09 trillion yen.

Tokyo  - Some 45,000 people Wednesday attended the memorial ceremony to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima by the United States.

Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba pledged at the ceremony "to do everything in our power to accomplish the total eradication of nuclear weapons."

Akiba stressed the majority of the states across the world supported the abolition of nuclear weapons, while expressing hope that the next US president would "listen conscientiously to the majority."

Tokyo - Some 45,000 people Wednesday attended the memorial ceremony to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima by the United States.

Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba pledged at the ceremony "to do everything in our power to accomplish the total eradication of nuclear weapons."

Akiba stressed the majority of the states across the world supported the abolition of nuclear weapons, while expressing hope that the next US president would "listen conscientiously to the majority."

Last year 170 nations voted in favour of a resolution introduced at the United Nations by Japan, calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Three nations, including the United States, opposed it.

Tokyo - Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose more than 2 per cent Wednesday on the overnight rebound in the US market.

The Nikkei index rose 287.24 points, or 2.22 per cent, to 13,201.9.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also up 22.22 points, or 1.78 per cent, to 1,269.93.

The Tokyo market sentiment was boosted in morning trading after the US Federal Reserve's assessment that US economic activity expanded in the second quarter helped an overnight rise on Wall Street.

Tokyo  - Toyota Motor Corp was to gain full ownership of its South African subsidiary by late August, the Japanese company said Tuesday.

Toyota reached an agreement with its joint venture partner Wesco Investments Ltd to acquire the remaining 25-per-cent share in Toyota South Africa (Pty) Ltd, worth about
29.8 billion yen (276.3 million dollars).

By making the South African unit a wholly owned subsidiary, Toyota plans to boost local production, sales and exports, Japan's top carmaker said.