Tokyo stocks dropped Thursday on selling to lock in profits ahead of the release of the US payrolls report for June.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 21.68 points, or 0.14%, from Wednesday at 15,348.29.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 2.19 points, or 0.17%, lower at 1,278.59.
Major decliners included oil and coal products, retail and insurance shares.