TOKYO - Japanese stocks fell Friday as investors sold stocks to settle futures options, with many buyers remaining on the sidelines ahead of talks among the finance chiefs of the Group of Seven industrialized countries.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index fell 189.91 points, or 1.44 percent, to close at 13,017.24 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It rose 0.82 percent Thursday.
Traders said investors seemed cautious about making big moves ahead of the three-day weekend and G-7 finance minister talks set for Saturday in Tokyo. The G-7 is made up of the U.S., Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.
Machinery manufacturers fell after the government said core machinery orders fell 3.2 percent in December from the previous month, worse than the 0.8 percent drop forecast by economists surveyed by Dow Jones and the Nikkei. Okuma Corp. plunged 10.57 percent to 820 yen and Makino Milling Machine Co. fell 7.45 percent to 621 yen.
Among other decliners, Nippon Steel Corp. shed 5.90 percent to 542 yen, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group lost 3.48 percent to 776,000 yen and Sony Corp. fell 1.49 percent to 4,620 yen,
Japan Airlines rose 2.72 percent to 264 yen after the company reported solid earnings for the latest quarter, reversing the loss it posted for the same period the previous year.
Strong earnings results posted the day before also helped lift mobile carrier Softbank Corp. 1.40 percent to 2,160 yen.
The broader Topix index, which includes all shares on the exchange's first section, shed 17.94 points, or 1.37 percent, to 1,287.14.
The TSE halted trading for Topix March futures contracts midday due to a system problem, but traders said the stoppage had little impact on stocks.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar was trading at 107.39 yen at 2:50 p.m. Thursday, down from 107.42 yen late Thursday in New York. The euro rose to $1.4480 from $1.4459.
Japanese financial markets will be closed Monday for National Foundation Day, a national holiday.
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