SINGAPORE, July 25 (Kyodo) - Twenty-seven ministers from Asia-Pacific nations and their key partners agreed Thursday on a new cooperation framework on maritime security, especially in theStrait of

TOKYO, July 25 Kyodo - Japan's trade surplus in the first half of 2008 dropped 42.1 percent from a year earlier to 2,958.6 billion yen, posting the largest fall since the first half of 2001, as i

SINGAPORE, July 25 Kyodo - North Korea on Thursday inked a nonaggression treaty with its Southeast Asian neighbors, a move that is hoped will promote peace, security and cooperation in the region.<

TOKYO, July 25 Kyodo - Prosecutors arrested a senior official of a Foreign Ministry-linked organization Thursday on suspicion of evading income tax payments in an apparent move to step up a probe i

TOKYO, July 25 Kyodo - A total of 132 people, mainly in Iwate and Aomori prefectures, were injured as a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 jolted northeastern Japan early Thursd

GENEVA, July 25 Kyodo - Some members of the World Trade Organization started expressing frustration on Thursday over the way in which the current floundering trade talks are proceeding in Geneva,

SYDNEY, July 2 Kyodo - Australia and New Zealand announced Thursday they plan to appoint their first ambassadors to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

NAGOYA, July 23 Kyodo - Toyota Motor Corp. topped General Motors Corp.

KATHMANDU, July 23 Kyodo - Nepal's first president, elected by a special assembly Monday, took the oath of office Wednesday, completing Nepal's transition from monarchy to republic.

SINGAPORE, July 23 Kyodo - Foreign ministers of the six countries involved in talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea agreed Wednesday on the need to begin verifying the list of North Korea's nuc