Tokyo  - Naoko Yamazaki was selected to become the first mother and the second Japanese woman to travel into space, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Tuesday.

Yamazaki, 37, was chosen to board the US space shuttle Atlantis on a planned two-week mission in February 2010 to transport components to add on to the International Space Station, where Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi is to stay for six months starting around November next year.

"I would like to have a successful mission by fully demonstrating the result of training," Yamazaki said at a news conference in Tokyo.

Yamazaki's 6-year-old daughter, Yuki, had congratulated her mother for being chosen for the mission, she added.

Tokyo  - Japan's current account surplus shrank for the seventh-straight month in September, slipping 48.8 per cent to 1.5 trillion yen (15.17 billion dollars) as higher energy prices boosted imports, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.

Exports in September increased 2.1 per cent from the same month a year earlier to 7 trillion yen, and imports jumped 32.7 per cent to 6.79 trillion yen.

The goods and services trade surplus narrowed 94 per cent to 96.1 billion yen as overseas demand weakened.

Tokyo - Tokyo stocks fell in Tuesday morning trading after the US market declined overnight on grim earnings outlooks and the yen's advance against other currencies.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 299.98 points, or 3.3 per cent, to 8,781.45.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues also fell 24.34 points, or 2.66 per cent, to 892.31.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc, technology giant Google Inc and automaker General Motors Corp all suffered downgraded outlooks the day before.

Kyoto - The 24th Annual Kyoto Prizes, Japan's highest private awards for lifetime achievement, were awarded to three North Americans on Monday, said the Inamori Foundation.

The three were recognized for their contributions to computerized problem solving; understanding how cancer cells form and grow; and developing a more peaceful world by promoting harmony among diverse cultures.

Tokyo - Asian stock markets staged strong rallies Monday, with Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average closing above the 9,000-point threshold, following the announcement of an economic stimulus packa

Tokyo - Asian stock markets staged strong rallies Monday, with Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average closing above the 9,000-point threshold, following the announcement of an economic stimulus packa