With a step closer to new invention, a team of Japanese researchers claimed on Monday that they have been successful in cloning dead mice that had been frozen for 16 years. This raises a possibility that woolly mammoths that walked the Earth thousands of years back could also be cloned. 

Tokyo - People in the small north-central and southern Japanese towns of Obama exuberantly celebrated Wednesday as the communities' namesake was elected US president.

The Obama Boys and Girls were dancing their hula in north-central Obama city when the news broke that Barack Obama defeated rival Republican candidate John McCain and was declared president-elect.

During Obama's victory speech at Grant Park, Chicago, his fans in the far-eastern fishing town also joined the Obama chants.

"Mr Obama proved to us that we can make our dreams come true by taking action," an Obama resident said after the results came in.

Tokyo - The Tokyo market ended Wednesday's trading higher as the news of Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential election boosted investor sentiment.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average soared 406.64 points, or 4.46 per cent, to close at 9,521.24.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues also rose 56.21 points, or 6.17 per cent, to 966.91.

In morning trading, Japanese stocks rose on Wall Street's overnight rises and the US dollar's advance against the yen. A stronger dollar helps increase Japanese exporters' earnings.

Tokyo - People in the small north-central Japanese town of Obama danced through the night and into Wednesday morning in anticipation of the community's namesake being elected US president.

The Obama Boys were practicing their hula dancing with a plan to make their debut when Barack Obama is declared president.

Their stage was set up at the town hall, where more than 200 people gathered in the city of 32,000 for an all-day party with six television screens set up for live reports of the election returns.

Tokyo - The Tokyo stock market ended Wednesday morning's session higher on Wall Street's overnight gains and the US dollar's strength against the yen.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 257.07 points, or 2.82 per cent, to 9,371.67.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also up 41.18 points, or 4.52 per cent, at 951.88.