STOCKS Japan stocks slumped as prospects for a prolonged recession dimmed the earnings outlook for manufacturers and commodities producers. [BLOOMBERG]

STOCKS Japan stocks rose, capping their best weekly gain in a month, on expectations governments will take more steps to pull the global economy out of recession. [BLOOMBERG]

STOCKS Tokyo stocks gave up early modest gains to close sharply lower Tuesday due to falls in key Asian equities and anxiety about Japan’s political landscape following Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda’s abrupt announcement Monday that he will resign. [KYODO]

STOCKS Japan’s Nikkei stock average slid 0.6 percent to a nearly one-month closing low on Monday as Mitsubishi Estate Co and other property developers took a beating on reports of lower condominium prices, while blue-chip exporters slid after Wall Street tumbled. [REUTERS]

STOCKS Foreign investors last week sold the most Japanese shares since the Black Monday market crash in October 1987 after the yen rose to a 12-year high, clouding the profit outlook for exporters. [BLOOMBERG]

STOCKS The Nikkei stock average plunged below the key 13,000 line Monday amid the dollar’s sharp dive below ¥103 and speculation that the U.S. is poised to enter a recession. [THE JAPAN TIMES]

STOCKS The Nikkei stock index finished Monday at its highest level since Jan. 15 with a gain of over 3 percent on the strength of insurance and financial issues amid easing worries over credit markets plaguing U.S. bond insurers. [KYODO]

STOCKS Tokyo stocks closed higher Tuesday with the key Nikkei index briefly soaring over 200 points, after Dubai International Capital LLC signaled its interest in boosting investment in Japanese shares. [KYODO]

STOCKS Tokyo stocks reversed earlier losses on Thursday, closing nearly 2 percent higher as upbeat earnings outlooks for Japanese automakers and a capital infusion for a major U.S. bond insurer lifted market sentiment. [KYODO]

STOCKS Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index saw the end to a three-day rally and closed Monday after falling nearly 4 percent, tracing heavy equity falls across Asia amid concerns about the U.S. mortgage crisis.

STOCKS Tokyo stocks staged a firm rally for the second straight trading session on Thursday, with the Nikkei index recovering the 13,000 line, as reports of a U.S. government-backed bailout package for bond insurers gave a boost to recently battered financial and real estate issues. [KYODO]

STOCKS Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda expressed concern over the impact a further plunge in global stocks could have on the Japanese economy during an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, a government official said. [KYODO]

STOCKS Tokyo stocks plunged more than 5.6 percent Tuesday with the Nikkei index closing well below 13,000 for the first time since mid-September 2005 on panic over a slowing global economy triggered by credit woes from the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis. [THE JAPAN TIMES]

STOCKS Key Japanese ministers said Tuesday the government will take no immediate action in the face of global stock downturns and the yen’s appreciation in the currency market, with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda reiterating that Japan’s economy is fundamentally firm. [KYODO]

STOCKS Investors are shunning investment trust funds with mainly Japanese stock portfolios, while funds generally investing in overseas stocks are gaining popularity, according to a report by the Investment Trust Association. [YOMIURI]

STOCKS Japanese stocks recovered from an early plunge Friday as investors scooped up shares that have been beaten down in recent days. [MAINICHI]

STOCKS Tokyo stocks closed sharply lower Wednesday as the rapid appreciation of the yen, signs of worsening fallout from the U.S. subprime-mortgage meltdown, and the perception that the government is unconcerned about the slide shook the market’s confidence. [THE JAPAN TIMES]

STOCKS Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday he will take a wait-and-see stance on the recent dives in Japanese stock prices, while shrugging off concerns that Japan’s economy is deteriorating. [KYODO]

STOCKS Tokyo share prices may fall a “little further” following a drop of almost 1,200 points in the bellwether Tokyo Stock Exchange index since the start of the year, Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga warned Sunday. [KYODO]

STOCKS Japanese stocks fell Wednesday after a three-day advance as investors sold oil shares and some blue chips. [MAINICHI]