TOKYO, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo shares closed nearly flat Friday ahead of a closely-watched U.S. jobs data report due later in the day.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 0.44 point from Thursday at 16,254.45.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 3.09 points, or 0.24 percent, lower at 1,279.90.
Decliners were led by fishery and forestry, insurance and construction shares while securities, precision machinery and mining issues gained ground.
The day's turnover was 2,198.8 billion yen (21.73 billion U.S. dollars).
