TOKYO: The Tokyo Stock Exchange was forced to suspend derivatives trading for several hours Tuesday due to a computer system glitch, the latest in a series of technical problems at Asia's largest bourse.

Trading in stock index futures and options, as well as government bond futures and options, was suspended from 9:21 am (0021 GMT) until 1:45 pm, a spokesman for the bourse said.

TSE executives were set to hold a news conference later in the day to explain the cause of the incident, which did not affect regular trading in listed shares.

The exchange has been hit by a number of computer system problems in recent years, including a similar halt to futures trading in February that prompted top TSE executives to take a pay cut for one month as punishment.

In November 2005 the Tokyo bourse was forced to suspend trading in all shares for the first time ever because of a software problem.

Since then the Tokyo bourse has been devoting resources to improve technology as it competes with rival markets in China and Singapore.

- AFP/yb