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

TOKYO, July 23 Kyodo - Japan's Tokio Marine Holdings Inc. said Wednesday it will acquire all outstanding shares of U.S. nonlife insurer Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp.