The dramatic move by House of Representatives Democrats compounded investors’ anxieties.

The company has not given a specific timeline for the resumption of full output.

Yahoo Japan aims to buy 50.1 per cent Zozo, whose market value was 680 billion yen.

Saikawa is suspected of improperly adding 47 million yen (USD 440,000) to his compensation by altering the terms of a bonus.

US crude was down 26 cents, or 0.5 per cent, at USD 54.84 a barrel by 0644 GMT, while Brent was down 6 cents at USD 58.60 a barrel.

WTI futures, slumped last week by nearly 2 million barrels to their lowest since December.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.53 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.54 per cent.

Tensions spiked between Iran and the West after Iranian commandos seized a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf.

The global plan includes the 4,800 job cuts announced in May and will mostly be at factories overseas with low utilisation rates.

Brent crude futures were up USD 1.17, or 1.9 per cent, at USD 63.10 a barrel by 0505 GMT.