Tokyo  - Sony Corp on Thursday said it expected an operating loss for the fiscal year 2008 of 260 billion yen (2.9 billion dollars) after earlier projecting a
200-billion-yen profit.

It would be the first time the Japanese home electronics giant would suffer an operating loss in 14 years.

The company expected to incur a net loss of 150 billion yen for the fiscal year, which ends March 31, while it also revised downward its sales projections to 7.7 trillion yen from an initial 9 trillion yen.

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks recovered from early losses Thursday to end the day higher as market sentiment was buoyed by a Bank of Japan plan to help corporate financing.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 150.1 points, or 1.9 per cent, to close at 8,051.74.

The broader Topix index of all first section issues was also up 8.76 points, or 1.11 per cent, to 795.91.

Tokyo  - Japan's trade surplus narrowed 80 per cent to 2.16 trillion yen (24.1 billion dollars) in 2008 from a year earlier as imports increased on surging oil prices and exports shrank amid the global economic slowdown, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.

Exports fell 3.4 per cent to 81.05 trillion yen in 2008 for the first fall in seven years because of automotive and semiconductor export declines.

Imports grew 7.9 per cent to a record 78.9 trillion yen on price hikes of natural resources.

Tokyo  - Stocks ended Thursday morning trading in Tokyo lower as investors sold export-oriented issues on the yen's advance against other major currencies.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average dipped 12.03 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 7,889.61.

The broader Topix index of all first section issues was also down 0.95 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 786.2.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar was quoted at 89.04-09 yen, down from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 89.89-92 yen.

Tokyo - Sony Corp was expected to close a television manufacturing plant and cut 2,000 full-time jobs in Japan as it prepares to report the first operating loss in 14 years amid the global economic downturn, The Nikkei business daily said Thursday.

As a cost-cutting effort, the Japanese home electronics giant earlier announced its plan to dismiss more than 16,000 workers in and outside Japan.