Japan

The family of an Ecuadorean man slain on a Long Island street will be among those participating in a candlelight vigil and memorial service to mark the first anniversary of the killing. Joselo Lucero (loo-SEHR'-oh) says his mother and sister will join him on the Patchogue (PATCH'-awg) street corner where Marcelo Lucero was stabbed to death on Nov. 8, 2008. Six teenagers have pleaded not guilty in the hate crime killing. A seventh reached a plea deal this week with prosecutors and will testify against the others. The vigil will begin at 6 p.m. at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Sephton Street in ... Read Full Story

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp's surprise quarterly profit and halving of its annual loss forecast failed to convince investors the world's No.1 carmaker is back on track, as government subsidies peter out and a strong yen takes its toll. Major Japanese automakers have raised their forecasts for the year to March 2010 as they squeeze out savings and government incentives from Germany to China, the U.S. and Japan prop demand through the worst economic crisis in generations. But with such stimulus programs beginning to run out, Toyota <7203.T> is looking to eliminate more spending, announcing its exit from Formula One racing on Wednesday ... Read Full Story

Toyota Motor, the world's largest automaker, announced Thursday a surprise return to profit and upgraded its outlook for the rest of the year helped by demand for fuel-efficient cars. Toyota posted a net profit of 21.8 billion yen (240 million dollars) for the fiscal second quarter to September, sharply lower than a year earlier but much better than the first quarter's 77.8-billion-yen loss. Operating profit dropped 65.8 percent year-on-year to 58.0 billion yen as revenue fell 24.4 percent to 4.23 trillion yen, a company statement said. Toyota's vehicle sales declined in each region, but the company made progress in cutting costs, said vice president ... Read Full Story

Panasonic Corp. said Thursday it has begun a tender offer to take over smaller rival Sanyo Electric Co. for an estimated 402 billion yen ($4.4 billion), moving closer to create one of the world's biggest electronics makers. Panasonic, the world's biggest plasma TV maker, is expected to purchase more than 50 percent of Sanyo shares, hoping to take advantage of the smaller rival's green businesses in solar panels and rechargeable batteries. Panasonic spokesman Akira Kadota said the tender offer is planned for Nov. 5 through Dec. 7 at the price of 131 yen ($1.4) per share. Sanyo's three major shareholders — Goldman Sachs, Daiwa ... Read Full Story

Toyota said Thursday it returned to a profit in the latest quarter as government incenstives boosted sales, leading the world's largest automaker to trim its projected red ink for the year. Toyota Motor Corp. reported a 21.8 billion yen ($242 million) profit for the July-September period after three straight quarterly losses. That marked an 84 percent plunge from the 139.8 billion profit racked up the same period a year ago, but underlined a gradual recovery for Toyota, which sank to its worst loss for the fiscal year ended March 31. The news marked the latest in a series of recoveries for Japanese automakers, including ... Read Full Story