"Companies with good earnings are jumping. Those with not so good results are being sold"
- Ryota Sakagami, chief strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.
Japanese stocks lost ground on Friday after Nippon Sheet Glass Co. and Oji Paper Co. cut profit expectations amid weak demand from Europe.
The Nikkei 225 shed 0.51%, or 44.89 points, to 8,831.93, while the broader Topix lost 0.23%, or 1.76, to 760.69.
"It's all about earnings today," said Ryota Sakagami, chief strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. in Tokyo. "Companies with good earnings are jumping. Those with not so good results are being sold."
Japan's Cabinet Office is to announce change in month-on-month core machinery orders on Thursday. Orders rose 14.8 per cent in November, after declining 6.9 per cent in October.
© Dukascopy Bank