TOKYO: Tokyo stocks were mixed Thursday morning ahead of a crucial European Central Bank policy meeting later in the day that dealers hope will see fresh measures to tackle the eurozone debt crisis.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange inched 0.06 percent, or 5.10 points, higher to 8,684.92 by the break, while the Topix index of all first-section shares was flat, edging down 0.01 percent, or 0.08 points, to 718.01.
Media reports have said the ECB planned to re-enter sovereign debt markets with unlimited bond purchases in a bid to bring down debt-hit eurozone members' borrowing costs and prop up the euro.
The Tokyo market was unlikely to see big swings ahead of the meeting, after a string of losing sessions, traders said.
"It will be more of the same as in recent sessions -- small net market movements, reduced volatility, with some bargain-buying in oversold issues, as well as some added buying in euro-exposed issues," said Hiroichi Nishi, general manager of equities at SMBC Nikko Securities.
"The ECB meeting is the main focus, however, and trading will be thin until more is known about the implications" of the bank's policy, he told Dow Jones Newswires.
Tokyo's see-saw performance came after a flat session on Wall Street with the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average adding 0.09 percent to 13,047.48.
The S&P 500-stock index slipped 0.11 percent, while the tech-rich Nasdaq lost 0.19 percent.
In Tokyo trade, Sharp lost 5.74 percent to 197 yen owing to continuing concerns about the cash-strapped consumer electronics giant, which was reportedly planning to put up land and buildings at its Osaka headquarters and a plant in western Japan as collateral to win fresh bank financing.
Sony was off 0.69 percent at 857 yen after saying Thursday that hackers launched a cyber attack on a server containing information about 400 customers of its mobile unit.
On currency markets, the euro fetched $1.2614 and 98.88 yen against $1.2600 and 98.78 yen in New York late Wednesday.
The dollar was at 78.39 yen from 78.38 yen.
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