Kyodo news summary -3-.

TOKYO, July 9 Kyodo

---------- Japan's core machinery orders slump 14.8% in May

TOKYO - Japan's core private-sector machinery orders fell a seasonally adjusted 14.8 percent in May from the previous month, the largest drop in over seven years, underscoring weakness in capital investment amid lingering worries over the eurozone debt crisis and strong yen, the government said Monday.

The Cabinet Office, however, maintained its basic assessment on the leading indicator of corporate capital investment, saying machinery orders have been in a "trend of moderate increase." "The results in May fell due in part to a simple reaction from the previous month," it added, referring to the 5.7 percent rise scored in April.

---------- Afghan president Karzai thanks int'l commitment for aid offer

TOKYO - Visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed gratitude Monday for the support pledged by international donors at the weekend aid conference in Tokyo on the country's development, while vowing to make progress fighting corruption and reconciling with the Taliban.

Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, Karzai said the weekend conference "reminded us once again that international community continues to be supportive of Afghanistan," as it seeks to transform itself into a stronger country with better institutions and an improved economy.

---------- Toy Story-themed 3-D attraction opens at DisneySea

CHIBA, Japan - The Tokyo DisneySea theme park in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, opened a new Toy Story-themed 3-D attraction Monday.

Visitors to "Toy Story Mania!" can enjoy the world of the "Toy Story" movie series, earning points by shooting targets such as balloons and eggs on a big screen.

---------- Dollar remains weak vs. yen in Tokyo

TOKYO - The U.S. dollar traded on a weak note in the mid-79 yen range Monday morning in Tokyo after losing ground in overseas trading late last week on disappointing U.S. jobs data.

At noon, the dollar fetched 79.67-71 yen compared with 79.62-72 yen in New York and 79.87-88 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Friday.

---------- Trade deficit erodes Japan's May current account surplus

TOKYO - Japan's current account surplus shrank 62.6 percent in May from a year earlier to 215.1 billion yen, affected by a continued goods trade deficit resulting from large energy resource imports, the government said Monday.

The balance of international payments, one of the widest gauges of trade for a country, deteriorated for the 15th straight month also due to the biggest fall in nearly two years in the income account balance, which the Finance Ministry said was caused by the one-time effect of a large capital outflow from the country.