Tokyo

Japan logs first annual trade deficit in 28 years

Japan's economyTokyo- Japan's trade balance for fiscal 2008 marked the first deficit in 28 years due to rises in commodity prices and slower exports to the United States and other major economies, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday

The nation's trade deficit logged 725.32 billion yen (7.38 billion dollars) in fiscal 2008 that ended in March, the ministry said.

Japan last registered a trade deficit in 1980, when the balance was skewed by soaring crude oil prices.

Tokyo stocks lose 3 per cent on Wall Street fall, stronger yen

Tokyo stocks lose 3 per cent on Wall Street fall, stronger yen Tokyo - Tokyo stocks lost more than 3 per cent Tuesday morning on Wall Street's overnight falls and the yen's advance against the US dollar.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average plunged 299.06 points, or 3.35 per cent, to 8,625.69.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was down 28.12 points, or 3.31 per cent, at 820.18.

Tokyo investors dumped mostly export-oriented issues, as a stronger yen whittles the earnings of Japanese firms.

Stronger yen leads to selling of exporters at Tokyo market

Stronger yen leads to selling of exporters at Tokyo market Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks fell Monday morning as exporters were hurt by the yen's rise against the US dollar and concerns spread ahead of earning reports season for Japanese firms.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 85.29 points, or 0.96 per cent, to 8,822.29.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 6.52 points, or 0.77 per cent, at 839.05.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 99.32-37 yen, down from Friday's 5 pm quote of 99.39-41 yen.

Friends of Pakistan pledge 5.28 billion dollars for Pakistan

Friends of Pakistan pledge 5.28 billion dollars for PakistanTokyo, Apr. 17 : Friends of Pakistan (FoP) donors on Friday pledged to give Pakistan 5.28 billion dollars to stabilise that strife-torn country.

In a statement, the donors said: "Development partners pledged new financing for Pakistan totalling more than five billion US dollars over the next two years" at the end of the one-day conference here.

Japan's consumer confidence up in Marchf

Japan's consumer confidence up in MarchfTokyo  - Japan's consumer sentiment improved in March as people expected the nation's employment situations to slowly recover, the government said Friday.

The reading for consumer sentiment among households marked the largest gain since January 2007, up 2.2 percentage points to 28.9 from the month before.

Consumer sentiment "remains severe but is ceasing to deteriorate," the Cabinet Office said as it raised its assessment for the second month.

Toshiba ups net loss forecast to 350 billion yen

Toshiba ups net loss forecast to 350 billion yen Tokyo  - Japanese electronics giant Toshiba Corp Friday revised its earnings estimate for the previous business year, now predicting a greater net loss due to a price slump in the semiconductor market and tax credit costs.

Toshiba now predicts a net loss of 350 billion yen (3.5 billion dollars) for the business year that ended March 31, up from a previous 280-billon-yen loss estimate. Last business year, Toshiba reported net profits of 127.4 billion yen.

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