Tokyo, Nov 5 (AFP/APP):Tokyo stocks closed lower on Friday on profit-taking ahead of key US payroll data due later in the day.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index ended down 0.61 percent or 182.80 points at 29,611.57 while the broader Topix index slipped 0.69 percent or 14.14 points to close at 2,041.42.
“The Nikkei index opened slightly higher following gains by US tech shares, but it soon fell into negative territory as a wait-and-see sentiment grew ahead of the US jobs data,” Okasan Online Securities said in a note.
In Tokyo trading, automakers were lower, with Toyota falling 1.35 percent to 2,035 yen and Nissan dropping 2.57 percent to 589.1 yen.
Honda tumbled 3.09 percent to 3,409 yen. The automaker said after the market close that it projects net profit of 555 billion yen for the current fiscal year, down from an earlier estimate of 670 billion yen.
Nintendo jumped 3.05 percent to 50,640 yen after the game giant upgraded its full-year net profit forecast but lowered its annual sales target for its Switch console, as a worldwide chip shortage continues to affect many industries.
SoftBank Group dipped 0.33 percent to 6,209 yen while Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing gained 1.02 percent to 80,030 yen.
Japan’s household spending in September was down 1.9 percent year-on-year after a 3.0 percent decline in August, according to data released by the internal affairs ministry before the opening bell.
The data did not prompt strong market reaction.
The dollar fetched 113.67 yen in Asian trade against 113.73 yen in New York late Thursday.