1.   Another possible drag on the prices of blue-chip stocks such as Toyota Corp. next week is friction at the U.S.-Japan auto talks in San Francisco.

2.   Automakers slipped on concern the U.S. will pressure Japan to expand access to its markets and cut back on exports during auto trade talks that begin tomorrow.

3.   A second day of auto trade talks between the U.S. and Japan came to a close with both sides acknowledging that a breakthrough in bitter dispute remained elusive.

4.   A second day of auto trade talks between the U.S. and Japan officially ended, though U.S. officials said negotiations would resume late this evening.

5.   Kantor would not comment on a New York Times report alleging that the CIA had carried out wiretapping in Japan during auto trade talks this year.

6.   Less than a week away from a deadline for U.S. sanctions on Japanese cars, U.S. and Japanese officials in Geneva have begun another round of auto trade talks.

7.   That message might well cause the Japanese to stiffen their position, at a time it seemed there had been some movement toward compromise in the auto talks.

8.   The contrasting personal styles of Yokich and Hargrove are among the many differences between auto industry labor talks this autumn in Canada and in the United States.

9.   The resolution of the long-simmering auto talks comes as two other trade disputes -- over aviation routes and film sales --have flared up in recent weeks.