The yen rose to the lower 145 range against the U.S. dollar Thursday in Tokyo on the view that the Federal Reserve may slow the pace of its interest rate hikes, with dollar-selling likely accelerated by hedge funds.
Tokyo stocks ended lower following disappointing earnings results from U.S. tech giants, while investors awaited earnings reports by major Japanese firms including Tokyo Electron Ltd. later in the day and Toyota Motor Corp. next week.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 86.60 points, or 0.32 percent, from Wednesday at 27,345.24. The broader Topix index finished 12.65 points, or 0.66 percent, lower at 1,905.56.
On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by bank, textile and apparel, and marine transportation issues.
