JAPAN

Toyota Motor Corp has pushed back plans to build its Prius in the United States by as much as six years, with a top executive saying U.S. production is likely to start only when the best-selling hybrid is remodeled.

Nissan Motor Co Ltd is recalling 51,100 Cube compacts in North America after U.S. safety regulators said a fuel leak could cause fire after a crash

Japan's Nissan Motor Co said on Tuesday it will spend $600 million to upgrade its plants in Mexico and start making three new low-cost cars there, positioning Mexico as its supply hub for the Americas markets.

Japan's JFE Holdings , the world's fifth-largest steelmaker, returned to a profit on Tuesday and U.S. Steel posted a narrower loss, but both gave lackluster forecasts, with the Americans complaining of slower order rates.

A increase in labour disputes between management and workers in China, mostly at foreign-owned factories in the southeast, has raised questions about the country's future as a low-cost manufacturing centre.

Yahoo Japan, Japan's largest Internet portal site, appears set to adopt Google's search engine instead of teaming up with Microsoft like partner Yahoo Inc, media reported.

Asian stocks pulled back slightly from two-and-a-half month highs hit earlier on Tuesday after upbeat U.S. housing data, while the euro neared 2-month peaks on relief over stress tests on European banks.

Asian stocks rose to their highest in two and a half months on Tuesday, boosted by solid U.S. housing data, while the euro inched up toward two-month peaks on relief over stress tests on European banks.

Of two potential suitors for biotech Genzyme , industry insiders say Sanofi-Aventis is a far more likely buyer than GlaxoSmithKline , which already has a presence in rare diseases.

Toyota Motor Corp is likely to have secured a group operating profit of about 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in April-June, thanks to solid sales and a sharp recovery from the previous year's loss

Nissan Motor Co said orders in Japan for the revamped March subcompact reached 12,147 units as of Sunday, representing more than three times the monthly target after less than two weeks on the market.

Apple Inc said on Monday its popular iPhone 4 model will go on sale in an additional 17 countries on Friday, July 30.

A World Trade Organisation panel has ruled that the European Union was wrong to impose duties on three types of electronics products from the United States and other countries, trade sources said on Monday.

Japanese exports rose more than expected in June from a year earlier but the pace of increase slowed for the fourth straight month, a sign the economic recovery may lose steam on moderating overseas demand.

Japan's government needs to weaken the yen and undertake an expansionary fiscal policy to beat deflation, the leader of Japan's Your Party, a small opposition party that made strides in an upper house election, said on Monday.

Sony Corp will likely return to profitability in the April-June quarter, beating market expectations for an operating loss, on solid sales and cost cuts, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday.

The euro edged up and Asian shares rose on Monday as solid U.S. corporate earnings and surprisingly strong euro zone data offset growing skepticism that stress tests on European banks were not strict enough.

Japan's three biggest banks are expected to report solid first-quarter results this week, driven by bond trading profits and lower credit costs, but few will see it as a sign of full-fledged recovery as their core lending activities remain sluggish.

Japan's Mizuho Financial Group Inc , Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc are likely to have each achieved net profits of over 100 billion yen ($1.14 billion) for the April-June period, the Nikkei business daily said on Sunday.

Gold slipped on Friday despite gains in equities as investors took to the sidelines before the release of European bank stress test results, which seek to restore confidence in the euro zone banking sector. Major listed lenders are expected to pass, while the tests may show the biggest problems lie with smaller, mainly unlisted players like Germany's Landesbanks and Spain's cajas.

The yen's current levels seem too high, a senior Cabinet Office official said on Friday, expressing worries over the impact a strong yen could have on Japan's fragile economy. The economy is moving toward a standstill, although views are divided on whether it has stalled, Keisuke Tsumura, a parliamentary secretary at the Cabinet Office, told reporters.