Jitters ahead of key US jobs report, strong yen, sees Tokyo stocks open mixed

Tokyo stocks opened mixed from the bell on Friday, as the yen's comparative strength coupled with jitters over key upcoming U.S. jobs data, saw early trade skittish and directionless.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 12.98 points, or 0.08 percent, from Monday to 16,134.40.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, gained 1.81 points, or 0.14 percent, to 1,301.77.

Notable early gainers comprised food and land transportation-linked stocks, while mining and nonferrous metal issues headed up issues that lost ground.

Markets in Tokyo were closed from Tuesday to Thursday for the Golden Week string of national holidays.