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CBS/AP) Asian stocks showed signs of life Tuesday after a global market sell-off, with several markets climbing into positive territory or paring losses after opening sharply lower. Australian stocks jumped after the country's central bank cut interest rates by a bigger-than-expected 1 percentage point to 6 percent in response to the unfolding global financial crisis. The S&P/ASX-200 index rose 2 percent to 4,634 after opening down 3.7 percent. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index erased some losses after briefly falling over 5 percent to below 10,000 for the first time in almost five years. By midday, it was trading about 1.7...

HONG KONG: Asian stocks fell 2-3 per cent on Monday, led by shares of exporters, after a hectic weekend in Europe as the financial crisis gathered steam there, knocking the euro to the lowest in a year. Concerns about whether the $700 billion rescue plan, which was approved by the US Congress last week, would be quickly implemented and whether it would be enough to shore up the economy left investors seeking safety in US and Japanese government bonds and buying yen and Swiss francs. Oil prices fell around $2 to just below $92 a barrel dragging down prices of...

Oct. 6 -- The Bank of Japan added 1 trillion yen ($9.6 billion) to the financial system as global subprime mortgage-related losses force lenders to restrict credit.

ASIA MARKETS: Stocks Take Further Beating In Tokyo, Sydney By V. Phani Kumar Asian markets extended losses early Monday amid concerns about the global financial crisis, with Japanese shares down sharply on banks such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and exporters including Sony Corp., which fell below a five- year low. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 Average slumped as low as 10,598.76 during the session to its lowest level since October 2004. The benchmark was recently down 3% at 10,605.12, taking losses into a third straight session, while the broader Topix index fell 3.3% to 1,013.34. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed...

Asian markets accelerated losses in the morning session Monday, down an average of 3 percent, after Wall Street notched up its worst week in seven years and more European governments were forced to shore up their banking systems in a bid to contain the spreading crisis. The Nikkei 225 Average [JP;N225 10660.27 -277.87 (-2.54%)] extended losses, down 3 percent, to a four-year low as exporters such as Canon were battered by a weaker dollar and growing worry about the global economy despite passing of a U.S. bailout bill. Automakers such as Toyota Motor slid along with Kyocera and other high...

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Commander, Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC), Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny announced today that a sunken vessel off the coast of the Aleutian Islands is in fact the World War II submarine USS Grunion (SS 216). "I am honored to announce that, with records and information provided by the Abele family and assistance from the Naval Historical Center, USS Grunion has been located," said McAneny. "We are very grateful to the family of Grunion's Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele for providing the underwater video footage and pictures that allowed us to make this determination. We...

(image from NHK National News, Japan) I have to say I am rather surprised. Normally liberal, mainstream Japanese press, is in fact really giving a good amount of credit in various top news headlines (at least) to Gov. Sarah Palin and her performance Thursday night (it is Friday afternoon here).I scanned the major Japanese news wires, like JIJI and Kyodo, and TV as well as online newspapers, such as Yomiuri, Nikkei, etc. Things like this appear:JIJI PRESS (wire services similiar to AP) in Japan. Breaking top story: ペイリン��終始攻勢�難関乗り切る�首長経験強調��イデン�挑発も�大統領� "Peirin shi, shushikouseide nankan norikiru = shuchou keiken kyouchou, baiden mo...

MARYVILLE - The Japanese widow of a Maryville Marine killed in Iraq has decided to bear their son in Japan. Hotaru Ferschke, 24, relayed the decision to Sgt. Michael Ferschke's mother, Robin Ferschke, on Thursday after a doctor pronounced her fit and able to make the arduous journey to the U.S. The baby, who will be named Mikey, is due Jan. 9. Hotaru Ferschke, who had come to Maryville in August to bury her husband of one month, ran into bureaucratic problems when she tried to return to the U.S. to have the baby, as she and her husband had...

Dow futures are down -110 per Fox News post bailout vote. The Hang Seng just opened at the top of the hour and is already down 2.0%. The Nikkei was up 0.7% prior to the vote, and now it is down 1.1%. I think the Asia markets don't like this bill.

TOKYO (AFP) — The Bank of Japan said Monday it was doubling a dollar swap to 120 billion dollars as part of the latest coordinated action by the world's central banks to contain a global market meltdown. The Japanese central bank said it held an emergency policy board meeting at which it agreed to pour up to 120 billion US dollars onto the money markets through April. It had agreed on September 18 to a swap facility of up to 60 billion dollars through January. The Bank of Japan said it was taking action in response to "continued strains" on...

China's submarine fleet projects Beijing's power Jonathan Manthorpe Vancouver Sun Friday, September 26, 2008 Soon after dawn two weeks ago the captain of the Japanese destroyer Atago was on the bridge of his ship cruising within territorial waters off southwestern Japan when he saw something in the water about a kilometre away. "Isn't that a periscope?" he asked. Crew detected the target with the ship's state-of-the-art sonar. They then "pinged" what they took to be a submarine with their targeting sonar. Under the rules of the sea the submarine should then have surfaced and displayed its national flag or faced...

War game argues that USAF fleet could be outmatched by Chinese By Stephen Trimble Rand's 90-slide briefing presented in August argues that the US Air Force's fifth-generation fighter fleet could be outmatched by hordes of lesser-skilled Chinese Sukhoi Su-27 pilots in a 2020 battle over the Taiwan Straits. In the Rand war game, China launches an air attack on skies above Taiwan. Using advantages of proximity and sheer numbers, the assault force consists of 72 Su-27 Flankers, 24 in each of three regiments. Operating from Andersen AFB, Guam, the USAF can muster only six Lockheed F-22s in the Taiwan Straits...

^AORD All Ordinaries 4,937.00 9:23PM ET Up 2.40 (0.05%) ^N225 Nikkei 225 11,998.08 9:24PM ET Up 104.92 (0.88%) Chart, More ^NZ50 NZSE 50 3,223.17 9:23PM ET Up 35.59 (1.12%) Components, Chart, More ^STI Straits Times 2,435.62 9:44PM ET Up 24.16 (1.00%) Components, Chart, More ^KS11 Seoul Composite 1,478.68 9:44PM ET Up 2.35 (0.16%) Components, Chart, More

OK folks, the first curtain goes up globally.9:00 a.m. local here Monday. 8:00 p.m. Sunday Eastern.Your mileage may vary.

TOKYO — Nomura Holdings Inc paid only $2 for the European and Middle Eastern equities and investment banking operations of collapsed Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, sources familiar with the transaction said Friday. Nomura’s acquisition agreement with Lehman called for allowing Nomura to refrain from taking over the Lehman divisions’ assets, including the assets they had acquired for their proprietary trading, the sources said.

Cutting class just got harder but schools are safer thanks to computer chips that help track students, Japanese officials say. Some schools here this month began trial runs in which students carry chips that have tiny antennae and can be traced by radio, with some of the kids attaching the tags to their backpacks. The chips send signals to receivers at school gates. A computer in the system shows when a student enters or leaves. School officials say rising concerns about student safety prompted the idea.

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Thousands of people crowded onto Yokosuka Naval Base’s Pier 12 on Thursday to welcome the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to its new home in Japan. The historic significance of the event was repeatedly emphasized by U.S. Navy and Japanese military officials, as the George Washington is the only nuclear-powered ship to be forward deployed to Japan. "I think this is beautiful," said Chief Petty Officer Cleo Bowie, who was among a smaller group of George Washington sailors who arrived ahead of the ceremony. "A lot of people maybe haven’t really taken it in yet,...

TOKYO — Groups opposed to Thursday’s arrival of the USS George Washington to Yokosuka Naval Base say demonstrations will grow in size and number in upcoming days. "We want to express our opposition to America," Masahiko Goto, a lawyer and leader of a Yokosuka citizen’s group, said Tuesday. "We want a withdrawal of the deployment." On the day of the ship’s arrival to its new forward-deployed base, a rally will be held at 6 a.m. at Kannonzaki Park near Uraga station, where protesters can watch the carrier as it approaches, organizers said. Protesters also will embark on boats to follow...

Taro Aso, a Catholic conservative, takes over as Japan's prime minister with a vow to bolster his country's lackluster economy. The 68-year-old Aso, a former Olympic skeetshooter, is Japan's first Catholic leader.

Ruling party leader Taro Aso was elected Japan's next prime minister Wednesday. Aso, who was chosen president of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday, had already begun piecing together a Cabinet expected to include a fellow outspoken hawk as finance chief. The opposition-controlled upper house voted for Ichiro Ozawa, head of the Democratic Party of Japan, as prime minister. But the more powerful lower chamber voted to override that ballot in favor of Aso. The right-leaning former foreign minister will confront a country wracked by political divisions and concerns over the economy, which has stalled in recent months amid...

Taro Aso, Japan’s former foreign minister, was on Monday night poised to become the country’s fourth prime minister in just over two years after easily winning an election to head the ruling Liberal Democratic party. Mr Aso, 68, beat Kaoru Yosano, the fiscally conservative economics minister, by 351 votes to 66, while Yuriko Koike, the first woman to compete for the job, was a distant third with 46. As leader of the biggest party, Mr Aso will be named prime minister in an extraordinary Diet session on Wednesday. He will succeed Yasuo Fukuda, who abruptly resigned after less than a...

Servicemembers, families say goodbye as about 300 deploy MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Even pets came to say goodbye. Families gathered in a parking lot near the north side of base Sunday morning to see their loved ones off to war. There were kisses for spouses, bear hugs for kids, pats on the head for family dogs and a few tears for all, before airmen shuffled with their Army green duffle bags to a bus that marked the first leg of a journey. Final destination: Iraq. First, the bus dropped them at a hangar. Airmen were to later board a...

Bank of Japan announces dollar swap with US Fed (33 mins ago) The Bank of Japan announced a dollar swap of up to US$60 billion with the US Federal Reserve as part of a coordinated action by the world's central banks faced with market turmoil. The Japanese central bank said in a statement that it held an emergency meeting to supply US dollar funds to market participants in Japan in conjunction with the Fed. It said that the European Central Bank, the Bank of Canada, Bank of England and Swiss National Bank were taking part in coordinated measures. "These measures,...

TOKYO (AFP) — The Bank of Japan said it poured three trillion yen (28.3 billion dollars) into money markets Friday amid continuing concerns over turmoil in financial markets. The Japanese central bank made an early injection of two trillion yen, followed by another one trillion later in the day. The BoJ has made emergency injections twice daily for the past four days, and the latest brings the total to 11 trillion yen since Tuesday.

India targeting China's oil supplies By David Blair in New Delhi 15/09/2008 Military planners in India are eyeing a crucial junction of the world which serves as the conduit for 80 per cent of China's imported oil. The Strait of Malacca, where the Indian Ocean joins the Pacific, is seen as China's Achilles' heel. These shipping lanes, vital for Beijing's energy supplies, could be the setting for any future confrontation between India and China. The two giant powers are long-standing rivals who share a disputed 2,100-mile border and are waging a diplomatic struggle for influence in Asia. They fought a...

TOKYO - Japan was searching Sunday for an unidentified foreign submarine detected in its territorial waters earlier in the day, the Defense Ministry said. The Aegis destroyer Atago of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted what it determined to be a periscope of an unknown submarine between Kyushu and Shikoku islands in western Japan, the ministry said. By the time officials confirmed that the submarine was not a U.S. or Japanese vessel, it had left the area, it said. Officials dispatched the Atago as well as P-3C patrol airplanes to look for the submarine, the ministry said in a statement. "We...

He survived the battle, three months of hiding and a prison camp. After 63 years, former Japanese sailor Tsuruji Akikusa has come back to Iwo Jima to deliver a message to his friend. Tsuruji Akikusa had always kept a journal. So at 18, when he returned from war to Japan in 1946, he wrote it all down. The young seaman apprentice wrote about joining the Imperial Navy at 15, sailing from Yokosuka to the Bonin Islands, then arriving on Iwo Jima in the summer of 1944. His tale, like the war itself, grew more harrowing. It expanded from his time...

TOKYO (Reuters) - No injuries had been reported after two explosions were heard late on Friday near a U.S. naval base where a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will soon dock south of Tokyo, Japanese police said on Saturday. Police said investigations were underway and that rocket fragments had been found near the controversial naval base at Yokosuka, but few other details were available. Residents had reported that the roof of one nearby home had been damaged by the blasts, police said. The blasts occurred about two weeks before the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington is scheduled to arrive at the...

Northern Japan quake has magnitude 7 - govt agency 11 Sep 2008 00:36:51 GMT Source: Reuters TOKYO, Sept 11 (Reuters) - An earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday had a preliminary magnitude of 7, the meteorological agency said on Thursday.

US vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin's fashion sense is winning applause in an unexpected quarter - in Japan, where the maker of her rimless glasses is enjoying a sudden boost in business. The Alaska Governor's designer specs have become a hot topic on the US campaign trail, with some speculating that the 44-year-old former beauty queen is trying to show her seriousness. But whatever her reason, Masunaga Optical Manufacturing is pleased with the media interest. The company makes Ms Palin's MP-704 glasses, designed out of titanium by Kazuo Kawasaki. "Few politicians, especially women, go out with glasses. We're happy to...

Green-colored polar bears are drawing questions from puzzled visitors at a Japanese zoo. Three normally white polar bears at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in central Japan changed their color in July after swimming in a pond with an overgrowth of algae. ... High temperatures in July and August and less-frequent water changes because of the zoo's conservation efforts caused an algae growth in the bear pond and safety moat, Kurobe said.

Speculation has recently grown again that Kim, who is 66 and has not been seen in public for more than three weeks, is unwell. Some media have long thought that Kim, a former smoker and heavy drinker, was ill but Seoul intelligence officials say they believe he has diabetes and heart problems, but those are not serious enough to affect his job.

SIERRA VISTA — Fon B. Huffman, the last survivor from the international Panay Incident of 1937, died Thursday, his family announced. Huffman, born in 1913, celebrated his 95th birthday on Aug. 19. He died peacefully in his sleep at noon in Hacienda Rehabilitation and Care Center. His daughter, Nancy Ferguson, was by his side. The Iowa farm boy who joined the Navy at age 16 was a 24-year-old sailor aboard the USS Panay when it was attacked near Nanking, China, on Dec. 12, 1937, by Imperial Japanese warplanes. In those days, the American gunboat, part of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet,...

NKorea, eying next Japan PM, delays kidnap probe 4 hours ago TOKYO (AFP) — North Korea will delay a long-awaited probe into abductions of Japanese citizens, officials said Friday, as dovish Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's sudden resignation set back moves to ease tension. North Korea told Japan through diplomatic channels that it was holding off on launching an investigation into the fate of Japanese abducted in the 1970s and 1980s to train the regime's spies, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said. "This is very disappointing," Komura told a news conference. He said North Korea confirmed it planned to hold the probe...

Nobuteru Ishihara, former policy chief for the Liberal Democratic Party, and Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy Kaoru Yosano both announced they would be standing, joining party Secretary General Taro Aso. Yuriko Koike, Japan's first female minister of defence, is expected to announce her candidacy before Monday's deadline, although Mr Aso remains the favourite to take over from Yasuo Fukuda. Mr Fukuda shocked the country by announcing his resignation on Monday evening, citing his administration's inability to pass legislation since the opposition Democratic Party of Japan won control of the Upper House of the parliament in June 2007. Already out...

TOKYO (AFP)--An increasingly assertive Russia is holding more frequent military drills near Japan, some with nuclear submarines, the Japanese defense ministry warned in a report Friday. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's cabinet approved the annual white paper on defense policy, which also reiterated Japan's long-standing unease about China's rapid military buildup and the threat of North Korea. The report came as tensions rise between Russia and the West over the conflict in Georgia, which some pundits fear could open the door to a new cold war. Japan, a close U.S. ally, has never formally ended World War II with Russia due...

Japanese TV is already running nationwide news bulletins and news updates featuring Sarah Palin's earth-shattering speech just a few moments ago.Here is one clip (just hit the orange arrow, a short lead in by the announcer in Japanese, then most of it is in English with Japanese subtitles). The Japanese people, millions of them, are getting their first look, and the reporting so far is fairly dramatic here.FNN-TV Reporters live at Minneapolis said she really walloped into Obama as being an elitist and her being from Small Town America.

Taro Aso has courted voters with a gruff, down-to-earth manner, but angered China after warning that it was a military threat. Japan's flamboyant former foreign minister Taro Aso has declared his intention to succeed the outgoing prime minister Yasuo Fukuda by entering a leadership contest for the ruling party. However, as Mr Aso and his rivals jostle for position, their Liberal Democratic Party looks more vulnerable than at any point in its 53 year history. On Monday its leader, Mr Fukuda, resigned, citing his own inability to halt a precipitous slide in the opinion polls and fight the opposition Democratic...

Pelosi Visits Hiroshima A-Bomb Memorial Tuesday, September 2, 2008 1:30 AM HIROSHIMA, Japan — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday became the highest-ranking serving American official to pay respects at the memorial site of the world's first atomic bomb attack. Democrat Pelosi is in Japan for a two-day gathering of top legislators from the Group of Eight industrialized countries. On Tuesday morning, she and the other G-8 representatives visited Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park before heading into an all-day meeting. No sitting U.S. president or vice president has ever visited Hiroshima.

Taiwan's relations with Japan will remain stable despite the sudden resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. That's the word from Taiwan's foreign ministry on Monday. Fukuda abruptly announced his resignation after less than a year in office. The ministry said that Taiwan appreciates Fukuda's efforts to promote ties with Taiwan. It said Japan's Taiwan policy is not expected to be affected by a leadership change. Taro Aso, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is reported to be a likely successor to Fukuda. Taiwan's Legislative President Wang Jin-pyng said Aso has always been friendly to Taiwan. Wang said Taiwan...

Nancy Pelosi is the highest ranking US Official to visit the memorial

TOKYO, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Unpopular Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said on Monday that he had decided to resign in an effort to break a political deadlock. Fukuda has been struggling to cope with a divided parliament where the opposition parties control the upper house and can delay legislation. "If we are to prioritise the people's livelihoods, there cannot be a political vacuum from political bargaining, or a lapse in policies. We need a new team to carry out policies," Fukuda said.

USS George Washington Departs for Japan Story Number: NNS080821-05 Release Date: 8/21/2008 4:08:00 PM From USS George Washington Public Affairs SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) with her crew of approximately 5,500 Sailors departed San Diego Aug. 21, to begin her journey to Yokosuka, Japan to replace USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) as the United States' only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier. Commanded by Capt. John R. Haley, GW became the flagship for the Commander, Task Force 70 (CTF 70), Rear Adm. Richard B. Wren last week after he and his staff moved to GW...

Monkey triggers Tokyo subway chaos By Kyung Lah CNN TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- A monkey stopped morning commuters in their tracks at one of Tokyo's busiest subway stations this week, as it curiously peered down at them from its perch atop the departures and arrivals board. Monday marked the third time a monkey has been spotted in the capital this month -- surprising, because the beasts usually live in the mountains and hills outside Tokyo, more than a two-hour train ride away from the city center.

One of Japan's largest sake manufacturers, Gekkeikan, has announced the development of a new "super yeast" able to produce cellulosic ethanol from non-edible parts of plants, such as paddy straw and chaff. The super yeast that produces alcohol was created with genetic engineering, by integrating koji mold genes that produce cellulolytic enzymes into sake yeast. These enzymes become densely displayed on the surfaces of the yeast cells. Since this super yeast has the functions of the standard koji mold, it achieves one-step production of ethanol from pretreated cellulose. The company claims the whole process is completed with a new easier...

Cuba Says Can't Pay For Japan Imports On Time : Nikkei V. Phani Kumar HONG KONG -- The Central Bank of Cuba informed Japan's Nippon Export and Investment Insurance that it couldn't pay for Japanese imports by the agreed upon dates, the Nikkei business daily reported Monday. "This isn't a problem specific to this bank. Foreign exchange reserves for settling trade accounts are in short supply in Cuba," said an offical at the Cuban central bank, according to the report.

Happy V-J Day everyone.The War in the Pacific against Imperial Japan came to a conclusion at exactly 63 years, 1 hour and 20 minutes ago.It is now just a little after 1 p.m. here in Tokyo, on August 15, 2008.

TOKYO - Japanese World War II leader Hideki Tojo wanted to keep fighting even after U.S. atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, accusing surrender proponents of being "frightened," a newly released diary reveals. Excerpts from the approximately 20 pages written by Tojo in the final days of the war and held by the National Archives of Japan were published for the first time in several newspapers Tuesday. "The notes show Tojo kept his died-in-the-wool militarist mentality until the very end," said Kazufumi Takayama, the archives curator, who confirmed the accuracy of the published excerpts. "They are extremely valuable."

Now being installed by a Japanese car manufacturer, the Accelerator Force Feedback Pedal (AFFP) gives warning of dangerous situations by vibrating and exerting counter pressure in the accelerator pedal. This should make the driver take his foot off the pedal and brake. With the aim of reducing accidents and CO2 emissions Continental's AFFP reaches market production for the first time. The system relies on warning the driver through sensory stimulation. The hazard warning is felt directly by the driver's foot, making him aware of the situation so that he can react. The pedal can also help to drive at...

In the latest twist on electronics, Japanese scientists said on Thursday they have developed a rubbery material that conducts electricity, a finding that could be used to make devices that bend and stret The material, described by Tsuyoshi Sekitani of the University of Tokyo in the journal Science, could be used on curved surfaces or even in moving parts, they said. Sekitani's team developed their material using carbon nanotubes, a long stretch of carbon molecules that can conduct electricity. They mixed these into rubbery polymer to form the basic material. Next, they attached a grid of tiny transistors to the...