A strong earthquake has shaken north eastern Japan, NHK TV said. A tsunami warning has been issued.

Toyota’s quarterly profit tripled, driven by a recovery from natural disasters, and the company raised its full-year earnings forecast despite a sales slump in China.

Japanese car giant Honda said April-June profits quadrupled to 131.7 billion yen (€1.37bn) as it bounced back from last year’s natural disasters.

Toyota sold 4.97 million vehicles globally in the first six months of this year, a strong result that could see the Japanese firm regain its crown as the world’s top car maker from General Motors.

Japan has reported its biggest half-year trade deficit ever as exports weakened and fuel imports soared to keep the power on while most reactors are idled in the aftermath of last year’s nuclear crisis.

A protest has taken place at the gate of a Japanese nuclear power plant as it was restarted today – the first such facility to go back online since the country shut down all of its reactors for safety checks following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The first catch of seafood from Japan’s Fukushima coast since last year’s nuclear disaster is going on sale after passing radiation tests.

Toyota profits more than quadrupled to 121bn yen (€1.16bn) in the January to March period compared with the previous year, capping a hardship-filled year as it was battered by the tsunami in Japan.

A tornado has torn through an area north-east of the Japanese capital Tokyo, injuring at least 30 people and destroying dozens of homes.

Honda’s January-March profit jumped 61% as the Japanese car maker sold more cars and motorcycles in a turnaround from a disaster-battered 2011.

Japan’s 78-year-old emperor has left hospital after heart surgery.

Japan’s prime minister has acknowledged that the government failed in its response to last year’s earthquake and tsunami, being too slow in relaying key information and believing too much in “a myth of safety” about nuclear power.

A BLUEFIN tuna caught off north-eastern Japan fetched a record 56.49 million yen, or about €572,000, in the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck under the sea several hundred miles south of Japan today, shaking buildings in the capital, but officials said there was no danger of a tsunami.

Traces of radiation from Japan's wrecked nuclear plant have been found in baby formula, the latest case of contaminated food from the disaster.

Toyota says its July-September profit dropped 18.5% to 80.4 billion yen (€748m) as it made and sold fewer cars because of parts shortages caused by the March tsunami disaster in north-eastern Japan.

Japanese car giant Mazda has reported a 14.4 billion yen (€133m) loss for the latest quarter and is now projecting a big annual loss instead of a profit due to the sluggish global economy and high yen.

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have arrived in the Japanese city of Fukushima to observe the massive decontamination effort under way after the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Sony’s next-generation portable game machine, the PlayStation Vita, will not be available in the US or Europe in time for Christmas – a crucial sales period for game console makers.

Toyota has told its suppliers in Japan to prepare for ramped-up production in 2012 and following years, signalling that the troubled car maker is confident it is back on a growth track after being hit by massive recalls and the tsunami disaster.

Car giant Toyota eked out a 1.1 billion yen (€10m) profit in the last quarter, managing to stay in the black despite the devastation of the quake and tsunami in north-eastern Japan.

Mitsubishi Motors sprang back into the black for the first quarter as growth in emerging markets offset damage from the earthquake in north-eastern Japan.

Honda's quarterly profit plunged nearly 90% to 31.7bn yen (€283.86m) because of sales damage from the earthquake in north-eastern Japan.

There are reports that another earthquake has hit north-eastern Japan.

Mazda reported its third straight quarter of losses today after vehicle production was hurt by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Sony sank to a 15.5bn yen (€138.94m) quarterly loss, hurt by the earthquake and tsunami in north-eastern Japan, a massive online security breach and plunging TV prices.

Nissan’s quarterly profit dropped 20% as Japanese car makers took a battering from the earthquake and tsunami disaster which disrupted production and destroyed dealerships.

Toyota said today buyers may have to wait until next April for deliveries of its new bigger Prius models because of a battery shortage and production delays from the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Japanese farmers took to the streets in Tokyo today demanding compensation for radiation contamination to their crops and livestock from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Toyota resumed car production at all of its plants in Japan today for the first time since the earthquake and tsunami, but said the factories will run at half capacity due to parts shortages.

Angry refugees forced from their homes near Japan's wrecked nuclear power plant protested outside the HQ of its operator today, demanding compensation.

Toyota will suspend car production at its two UK plants for several days this month and in May because of parts shortages following last month's massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Seawater outside the crippled nuclear power plant in north-eastern Japan was found to contain 3,335 times the usual amount of radioactive iodine – the highest rate yet and a sign that more contaminated water was making its way into the ocean, officials said today.

Black smoke has been seen emerging from Unit 3 of the crippled nuclear plant in north-eastern Japan, prompting a new evacuation of the complex, according to officials.

Sony said today that it is suspending production at some plants in Japan which make popular consumer electronics like digital cameras and televisions due to shortages of parts and raw materials following the calamitous earthquake earlier this month.

AN 80-YEAR-OLD woman and her teenage grandson were miraculously rescued yesterday in north-eastern Japan.

Plans to vent radioactive gas at one of the reactors at Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear complex have been scrapped after the plant's operators said the pressure inside has stabilised.

A cold wind blowing at her back, Tayo Kitamura knelt beside her mother’s body and pressed her palm against the blue plastic tarp rescue workers had just wrapped the corpse in. She leaned in as if to hug the body, then closed her eyes tightly as tears slid down her cheeks.

The yen fell from historic highs today after the Group of Seven major industrialised nations promised coordinated intervention in currency markets to support Japan's recovery from a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.

Japan’s central bank is continuing to pour cash into the banking system to calm jittery money markets as the yen shot to a record high.

Australia advised its citizens to consider leaving Tokyo and earthquake-affected areas today, joining a growing number of governments and businesses telling their people it may be safer elsewhere.

CANNED goods, batteries, bread and bottled water have vanished from store shelves and long lines of cars circle petrol stations as Japan grapples with a new risk set off by last week’s earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis: panic-buying.

Japan’s central bank pumped billions more into the financial system today to quell fears that the country’s banks could be overwhelmed by the impact of the earthquake and tsunami.

A 70-year-old woman has been found alive four days after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in north-eastern Japan.