Tokyo - Japanese whaling ships returned Monday after a so-called scientific research mission in the Antarctic Ocean with only 70 to 80 per cent of its targeted catch due to obstruction from an anti-whaling group, the Fisheries Agency said. Three vessels brought back 679 minke whales and one fin whale to the western Japanese port of Shimonoseki, compared to the planned catch of 815 to 985 animals, the agency said.

Tokyo - Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average ended morning trading lower Monday with investors in a wait-and-see mood ahead of US corporate earnings reports to be announced this week. The Nikkei index dipped 6.49 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 8,957.62 after briefly rising above the 9,000-points level during the morning session.

But the broader Topix index of all first-section issues was up 3.64 points, or 0.43 per cent, at 849.61.

Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah II left for Japan on Sunday for a working visit that was due to last for several days, the royal court announced. The monarch would meet with Japanese Emperor Akihito and have talks with Prime Minister Taro Aso on the latest developments in the Middle East and efforts to re-launch peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The discussions were also expected to focus on means of boosting bilateral economic and trade ties. Abdullah was also scheduled to meet in Tokyo with prominent politicians, parliamentarians and private sector leaders.

Nissan Motor Company, a multinational auto manufacturer, has big plans for India.

The Japanese company aims to launch 4-5 models by the next four years
out of which the first car would roll out before summer 2010.

Mr. Kiminobu Tokuyama, Nissan Motor India's Managing Director and CEO,
said, “We propose to launch four to five models over the next four-five
years in the Indian market. Our first car is scheduled for launch by
summer 2010.”

Nissan is establishing Rs 4,500-crore car-manufacturing plant in

Washington, April 11 : A Japanese robotics company called Cyberdyne has designed an Iron Man-like exoskeleton to help people with weak muscles or disabilities move.

The company describes it as Hybrid Assistive Limb-5 (HAL-5).

"When a person attempts to move, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles via motoneuron (sic), moving the musculoskeletal system as a consequence," Fox News quoted the English-language section of the Cyberdyne Web site as explaining.

"At this moment, very weak biosignals can be detected on the surface of the skin. ''HAL'' catches these signals through a sensor attached on the skin of the wearer," the site said.

Tokyo - Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) has announced Fridaythat it would incur losses for the previous fiscal year that ended March 31, a turnaround from earliar profit forecasts, a media report said. Sumitomo Mitsui, one of Japan's three mega-banking groups had expected a net profit in November, but it revised downward the full-year forecast amid declining stock prices and the global financial turmoil, the bank said.