Nikkei edged down 0.17 percent Friday morning, as weaker-than-expected industrial output data in November undermined market sentiment.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was down 29.57 points, from Thursday to 17,779.18.
On the contrary, the broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 1.57 points, or 0.11 percent, to 1,422.83.
Major decliners included rubber, food and mining issues.