Tokyo - Japan's current account surplus shrank 17.3 per cent to 1.53 trillion yen (14.22 billion dollars) in July, compared with the same month a year before, thanks to expanding imports, the government said Wednesday.

The surplus shrank for the fifth-consecutive month as import growth was led by high prices for fuel, the Finance Ministry said.

The goods and services trade surplus plunged 93.5 per cent to 29.2 billion yen.

The goods trade surplus shrank 69.8 per cent to 232.2 billion yen while the services trade marked a deficit of 203 billion yen, down 35.8 per cent from a year before.

Tokyo - Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average hit a six-month low Wednesday after renewed anxiety over the US financial sector dragged down US shares.

The Nikkei fell in morning trading by 131.11 points, or 1.06 per cent, to 12,269.54. The index ended the previous day's session down 223.81 points.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 7.41 points, or 0.62 per cent, at 1,184.18 after it finished the previous day's trading down 24.82 points.

Tokyo - Candidates for Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential race were ready to take their campaign to the streets Wednesday in a bid to succeed outgoing leader and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

LDP Secretary General Taro Aso, 67, was seen as the front runner among the five candidates. Aso served as Fukuda's right-hand man for about a month since the premier reshuffled his cabinet.

Tokyo - Tokyo stocks opened lower Tuesday as investors sold shares to lock in profits from the previous day's gains.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined 185.43 points, or 1.47 per cent, in morning trading to 12,439.03.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 21.44 points, or 1.76 per cent, to 1,194.97.

Tokyo players sold shares to reap profits from Monday's rises when the Tokyo indices shot up more than 3 per cent on the US government taking control of the two largest US mortgage lenders and guarantors, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Tokyo, Sep 8 : Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Governor Genjiro Kaneko have expressed disappointment that a US proposal to lift the global ban on nuclear trade with India has received international approval.

Akiba issued a statement saying it is “totally disappointing”.

Akiba urged the Japanese government, which approved the proposal, to make further efforts to achieve a total elimination of nuclear weapons, Japan Times Online reported.

Tokyo - Legislators in Japan believe that a general election could be held in November because it was likely the successor of recently resigned Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is likely to dissolve the House of Representatives in early October, local media reported Monday.