Tokyo stocks ended slightly higher Friday, with the Nikkei index snapping a three-day losing streak on dip-buying of banks and semiconductors.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 90.23 points, or 0.23 percent, from Thursday at 39,688.94. The broader Topix index finished 8.26 points, or 0.30 percent, higher at 2,726.80.
On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by bank, construction, and electric power and gas issues.
The U.S. dollar dropped to a one-month low in the mid-147 yen range in Tokyo amid speculation that the Bank of Japan might soon end its negative interest rate policy, but later briefly recovered to the 148 yen line as traders adjusted positions before the release of U.S. jobs data later in the day, dealers said.
The Nikkei was lifted by gains in semiconductor issues following the rise of the U.S. Nasdaq index overnight and bank shares on hopes for improved profits on the back of rising Japanese long-term interest rates, brokers said.
"Investors were buying on dips as they aimed for dividend payouts for the fiscal year" ending March, and anticipated favorable corporate earnings in the upcoming fiscal year, said Kazuo Kamitani, a strategist in the Investment Content Department of Nomura Securities Co.
But the Nikkei index erased some gains on profit-taking following its recent rapid advance to above the 40,000 threshold earlier this week for the first time, he said.
