TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Wednesday it will be "extremely difficult to bring peace to Afghanistan by enhancing the military means," expressing a negative view about the United States sending more troops to the war-torn country.

"I don't mean to deny all military methods," Hatoyama said, but added that the United States "has failed in Iraq, and that's what Mr. Obama admits."

---------- Sri Lanka's top general avoids war crimes 'interview' by U.S. gov't

COLOMBO - Sri Lanka's top military officer is returning home from the United States without having been subjected to questioning by the U.S. government over alleged war crimes committed in the final stage of the war between Sri Lankan government forces and ethnic Tamil separatist rebels earlier this year, the government said Wednesday.

"Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Sarath Fonseka left the United States this morning to return to Colombo," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

---------- Japanese Internet book search system to be developed

TOKYO - Japan's writers guild and the national library teamed up Wednesday to create an Internet book search system to counter U.S. search engine Google Inc.'s similar service.

The council they formed aims to take advantage of the National Diet Library's ongoing project to digitalize its gigantic collection, and will make specific proposals in April next year, participants said.

---------- Suspect in murder of British woman had face-lift in Nagoya

CHIBA, Japan - Police received information that a man who looks like the fugitive suspect in the 2007 murder of a British woman had cosmetic surgery at a clinic in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture last month, investigative sources said Wednesday.

The police later concluded that the man seen in Nagoya was definitely Tatsuya Ichihashi, 30, who is wanted in connection with the murder of Lindsay Hawker, 22, a language teacher, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture.

---------- Thai ex-premier Thaksin appointed as economic adviser to Hun Sen

PHNOM PENH - Thailand's fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been appointed as economic adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government, the office of the government's spokesman said Wednesday.

According to the statement, the appointment was made by King Norodom Sihamoni on Oct. 27 at the request by Hun Sen.

---------- Police raid Union Holdings head office over alleged stock manipulation

OSAKA - Police and securities authorities searched the head office of Union Holdings Co. and other places Wednesday in connection with the alleged manipulation of its stock prices by a speculative trading group in 2007.

The Osaka prefectural police and the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission suspect that the president of Union Holdings, listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and eight speculative traders have been involved in the alleged manipulation of its stock prices, which would constitute a violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law, sources close to the investigation said.