At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average advanced 26.45 points, or 0.09%, to 29,357.82. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange increased 5.65 points, or 0.29%, to 1,933.05.
Total 26 sub-indexes of the 33 sector sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange traded higher, with Iron & Steel, Marine Transportation, Insurance, Mining, Nonferrous Metals, and Air Transportation issues being notable gainers, while Precision Instruments, Securities & Commodities Futures, and Land Transportation issues were notable losers.
ECONOMIC NEWS: Japan services sector continued to contract in April, with a services PMI score of 49.5, the latest survey from Jibun Bank revealed on Friday. That's up from 48.3 in March, although it remains slightly below the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. This marked the slowest contraction in activity in the current 15-month period of decline. The latest reduction was only modest overall, as firms faced softer restrictions in the first half of April.
CURRENCY NEWS: The dollar hovered around 109.10 yen on a weak note in Tokyo trading on Friday, amid a growing wait-and-see mood ahead of the release of the U.S. government's jobs report later the same day. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at 109.14-15 yen, down from 109.33-33 yen at the same time Thursday. The euro was at 131.81-82 yen, up from 131.46-47 yen.
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