A powerful typhoon hit western Japan and the Japan Meteorological Agency warned of heavy rain, strong wind and high waves in a wide area of the Pacific coast. Typhoon Namtheum, the season's 10th,

A government white paper issued Tuesday calls on households to save energy as a means of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. According to the paper, the ratio of carbon dioxide emissions in Japan from the household sector compared with overall emissions of such global warming gases is lower than in the United States and Europe. However, household energy consumption in Japan surged 44 percent in 2005 from 1990, the white paper on the environment and recycling says.

Negotiations between Nippon Steel Corp. and Australian and British mining giant BHP Billiton are likely to result in a 200 percent spike in the price of coking coal in the next business year, sources said Saturday. JFE Steel Corp. and other major Japanese steelmakers are likely to accept price rises of similar magnitude, the sources said. Overall costs for the Japanese steel industry are likely to be pushed up by

Japan will step up its efforts to produce cheaper biofuels by 2015 to ensure energy security amid rising oil prices, industry ministry officials said Wednesday.

A bill that would ban the manufacture, sale and import of pet food containing harmful substances was approved Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting.

New models seen giving a boost to '08 vehicle sales Bloomberg Domestic vehicle sales may rise this year as carmakers introduce new models, the country's automobile dealers group said. Vehicle sales excluding minicars may be higher than the 3.43 million sold in 2007, Yoichi Amano, chairman of the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, said Monday in Tokyo. Vehicle sales fell to the lowest in 35 years in 2007 as declining wages and a shrinking population cut demand for automobiles. Toyota Motor Corp. introduced a new version of its Crown sedan earlier this month and Honda Motor Co. brought out a new version of its Fit compact, the country's best-selling car, in October. Nissan forecasts gain Nissan Motor Co. forecast its sales in China will rise 11 percent this year as it introduces new car models. The company expects to sell 500,000 vehicles in the country this year, including light commercial vehicles, compared with 450,000 last year, it said in a statement Monday. The carmaker will introduce three Nissan-brand vehicles in the world's fastest-growing major car market this year, starting with the Qashqai sport utility vehicle in March. Last month, the company brought out the Infiniti M35 sedan in an effort to win customers from Daimler AG and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.