Tokyo  - Japan's core machinery orders hit a three-year low in March to 956.8 billion yen (9.11 billion dollars), compared to February, the government said Thursday.

Tokyo  - Sony Corp said Wednesday that its net profit nearly tripled to a record in the past fiscal year, which ended in March, as its operating profit rose fivefold from the year before, thanks to

Tokyo  - Japan's current account surplus expanded 16.1 per cent in fiscal 2007 that ended in March to 24.55 trillion yen (236.01 billion dollars), the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.

The goods and services trade surplus rose 11 per cent to 9.09 trillion yen from the year before, the ministry's preliminary report said.

In goods trade, Japan's surplus rose 11.7 per cent to 11.71 trillion yen in the year through March 31, compared to the year before.

Exports grew 9.9 per cent to 80.95 trillion yen, and imports were also up 9.6 per cent to 69.24 trillion yen through March.

In March alone, the nation's current account surplus shrank 12.3 per cent to 2.88 trillion yen from the same month a year earlier, the ministry said.

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks opened almost flat Wednesday without f