Japanese share ended lower on Thursday, dragged lower by weakness in banking shares though off earlier session lows.
The Nikkei finished down 0.11 per cent, or 25.62 points, at 22,866.10. The broader Topix erased losses and eked out a 0.08 per cent gain to 1,822.61, reports Reuters.
Banking stocks fell 1.1 per cent, with Mizuho Financial down 1.2 per cent and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group off 1.25 per cent.
The retail subindex slipped 0.30 per cent, led by Fast Retailing falling 1.4 per cent.
The mining and oil sectors were among the gainers, up 1.45 per cent and 0.94 per cent, respectively, as crude oil prices marked strong gains on Wednesday on the back of a drop in US crude inventories.
Japan’s Pasona Group Inc rose 12.34 per cent after touching a record high. The staffing company on Wednesday hiked its operating profit forecast for the six months through Nov. 30.