Tokyo equities markets were higher on Thursday after the yen fell to yet another record low in relation to the euro. The yen fell in reaction to weak industrial output data. Export-focused stocks did especially well as investors believed that the euro’s strength against the yen would make Japanese goods more attractive to European shoppers. The Nikkei 225 added 1.7 percent to 16,140.76 and the Topix index was 1.4 percent higher to 1,634.46.

Camera makers Canon and Konica Minolta were both higher, up 2.3 percent to ¥5,840 and 4.7 percent to ¥1,535 respectively. Carmakers also saw gains. Toyota Motor added 1.3 percent to ¥6,370, while Nissan Motor gained 2.4 percent to ¥1,334.

Some domestic sectors were also up on the day. In the banking sector, for example, Mitsubishi UFJ was up 0.6 percent to ¥1,600,000 after announcing plans for expansion in Indonesia. SMFG advanced by 2.3 percent to ¥1,320,000.

Reports that it will enter into an operations agreement with Nippon Paper Group, Hokuetsu Paper Mills added 2.3 percent to ¥725. Most analysts believe that such a deal will effectively block Oji Paper’s attempt to take over Hokuetsu. Oji was up 0.9 percent to ¥666, while Nippon Paper gained 3.3 percent to ¥436,000.

Japan Airport, which runs Tokyo’s main domestic airport, added 7.9 percent to ¥1,438 on the announcement that the Japan Olympic Committee will put forward Tokyo as a candidate for host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 falling by 1.1 percent to 15,7562.59 and the Topix index dropping 1.2 percent to 1,600.25.

There were gainers on the day, however. Nippon Steel added 1.2 percent to ¥495 on a report that it will pay shareholders a dividend for the first time in 14 years. The divided is expected to be around ¥4, and is a result of higher than expected earnings. In the electronics sector, Toshiba gained 1 percent to ¥783 on an announcement from Microsoft that Toshiba will make its “Zune” portable media player, meant as competition to the iPod from Apple.

The paper sector was lower on the session. Hokuetsu was down by 2.3 percent to ¥758 after it was revealed that it is discussing an alliance with a Korean manufacturer. This would reportedly help it repel Oji Paper’s takeover bid. Oji, which has offered Hokuetsu ¥800 per share, was lower as well, by 0.3 percent to ¥688.

Softbank declined by 5.6 percent as investors were still worried that it had taken on too much debt with its purchase earlier this year of Vodafone’s mobile phone division. Last week, Lehman Brothers issued a decreased 12-month share price estimate on Softbank from ¥1,125 to ¥900.

Equities markets in Tokyo were lower on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 dropping 0.1 percent to 15,938.66 and the Topix index falling 0.2 percent to 1,619.81. Both had been higher earlier in the session as inflation was reported lower than had been expected, indicating that the Bank of Japan won’t raise interest rates soon. However, a huge decline by shares in Softbank sent the markets in a negative direction.

Softbank, the internet services company that ventured into the mobile telecommunications business with its takeover of Vodafone, declined by 9.7 percent to ¥2,265 as investors worried about the size of its debt. Earlier this week, Lehman Brothers issued negative comments.

Hokuetsu Paper was 3.4 percent lower to ¥776 as Oji Paper’s takeover bid looked less and less likely to go forward. Oji, meanwhile, added 0.4 percent to ¥690.

Sony dropped another 2 percent to ¥5,000 when the recall of batteries it manufactures for laptop computers extended beyond Dell to Apple computers.

In domestic sectors, real estate and securities each fell 0.7 percent. Among real estate companies, Mitsubishi Estate was 0.8 percent lower to ¥2,475.

Concerns about the state of the US economy sent equities markets in Tokyo lower in Thursday after new data released Wednesday showed that sales of existing houses was down. The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.3 percent to 15,960.62, while the Topix index fell by 1.1 percent to 1,623.03. Both export-focused and domestic stocks were hurt by the new worries.

The banking, securities, and real estate sectors were all lower on the domestic side. The real estate sector declined by 1.8 percent as a whole, with Mitsui Fudosan down 1.2 percent to ¥2,545. Mitsubishi Estate dropped 2 percent to ¥22,495, Sumotomo Realty & Development fell 2.4 percent to ¥3,320, and Tokyo Tatemono was 4 percent lower to ¥1,293 on a downgrade from “buy” to “hold” from Deutsche Bank.

Banks were down 1.3 percent as a whole, with Mizuho down 0.8 percent to ¥962,000 and Mitsubishi UFJ 1.8 percent lower to ¥1,620,000. The securities sector, meanwhile, dropped 1.1 percent. Nomura and Daiwa each declined by 0.9 percent, to ¥2,255 and ¥1,417 respectively. Nikko Cordial fell 1.7 percent to 1,514.

Export-focused stocks were also lower. Among the automobile manufacturing sector, Nissan and Honda each fell by 1.3 percent, to ¥1,290 and ¥3,890 respectively. Toyota dropped 2.2 percent to ¥6,310.

In the electronics sector, Toshiba was 1 percent lower to ¥782. Sony fell 2.9 percent to ¥5,100 on a downgrade from Mitsubishi UFJ.

Gains in domestic stocks sent the Nikkei 225 to its highest closing level in three months on Tuesday after new data showed that Japan’s birth rate, which has been dropping, has begun to rise again. The Nikkei 225 added 1.3 percent to 16,181.17, while the Topix index was 1.1 percent higher to 1,641.77.

The birth rate news helped manufacturers and sellers of baby goods. Baby goods and clothing retailer Nishimatsuya added 3.6 percent to ¥2,180, while Wakodo, which makes baby food, gained 5.5 percent to ¥4,960. With the number of weddings also growing, wedding ceremonies planner Take and Give Needs was 3.3 percent higher.

Real estate and securities were also higher on the day, as higher birth rates indicate stronger demand to come. Mitsui Fudosan gained 2.6 percent to ¥2,585 as the real estate sector as a whole was 2.1 percent higher. The securities sector was up by 2.8 percent, as Nomura added 3 percent to ¥2,265 and Daiwa was up 3.2 percent to ¥1,436.

The oil sector also saw gains after Monday’s rise in crude oil prices. Oil and gas exploration group Inpex Holdings was 1.9 percent higher to ¥1,060,000, while oil distributor Nippon Oil added 2.8 percent to ¥945.

Exporters also saw gains on the day, with carmaker Toyota adding 1.1 percent to ¥6,440 and camera manufacturer Olympus gaining 4.4 percent to ¥3,340.

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 down by 0.9 percent to 15,969.04 and the Topix index 1.1 percent lower to 1,624.21. Domestic sectors were down on profit-taking, while export-focused sectors suffered from investor concerns about the US economy.

In the automobile manufacturing sector, Toyota Motor and Mitsubishi Motors both dropped 1.9 percent, to ¥6,370 and ¥208 respectively, while Honda was down by 2 percent to ¥3,880.

Electronics manufacturers also saw declined, with Matsushita Electric Industrial 1 percent lower to ¥2,460. Sony was down a further 1.3 percent to ¥5,240, still troubled by the Dell recall of laptops due to a defect in Sony-manufactured batteries. Toshiba dropped 1.5 percent to ¥782 and Hitachi declined by 1.6 percent to ¥736.

On the domestic front, both banks and the real estate sector were lower on the session, as were retailers. Seven & I, which operates convenience and department stores as well as restaurants, was 1.4 percent lower, while Isetan dropped 1.2 percent.

In the real estate sector, Mitsubishi Estate fell 1.6 percent to ¥2,490, while Mitsui Fudosan dropped 2 percent to ¥2,520. The declines were blamed on profit-taking after new data showed that land prices all over Japan have risen for the first time in years.

Banks also saw declines due to profit-taking. Mizuho was 1.1 percent lower to ¥965,000, while Mitsubishi UFJ dropped 1.2 percent to close at ¥1,630,000 and SMFG fell 1.5 percent to ¥1,280,000.

Despite trade volumes that were at their highest in two months, the Tokyo equities markets were mixed on Thursday, with the Nikkei 225 dropping 0.3 percent to 16,419.42 even as the Topix index added 0.1 percent to close at 1,631.46. Export-focused stocks were helped by falling oil prices, but oil stocks were down on the drop in oil prices and shares in domestic companies were mixed.

Automobile manufacturers were up, with Toyota 0.6 percent higher to ¥6,460 and Nissan up 2.4 percent to ¥1,299. Electronics companies were also higher on the day, even though Sony saw losses through the morning half of the session. Still affected by the Dell recall of laptops that use Sony-manufactured batteries, the consumer electronics giant recovered enough late in the day to add 0.4 percent by the close, to ¥5,170. Toshiba gained 2.5 percent to ¥786.

Among domestic stocks, banks were up, but real estate declined. The world’s biggest bank when assessed by assets held, Mitsubishi UFJ, was 0.6 percent higher to ¥1,640,000. On the other hand, the largest property company in Japan, Mitsui Fudosan, was 1.7 percent lower to ¥2,570.

Oil prices that continued to drop left upstream oil company Inpex down by 0.9 percent to ¥1,050,000.

In Tokyo on Wednesday, the Nikkei 225 closed at 16,071.36, the first time the index has ended the session above 16,000 since May. The Topix index was also up, by 1.5 percent, to 1,629.73 as both domestically focused and export-reliant stocks saw gains during the day. In addition, the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks added 3.4 percent to 1,354.42. Still, the Mothers index remains well below its level before the Livedoor scandal in February.

Among exporters, Toyota was up 2.4 percent to ¥6,420 as concerns about inflation in the United States began to lessen. The electronics sector, however, was mixed as Sony continued to decline in the wake of the Dell recall based on defective batteries manufactured by Sony. While Hitachi gained 3.8 percent to ¥736, Sony dropped 1.1 percent to ¥5,150.

The real estate sector was 2.1 percent higher as a whole, with Mitsubishi Estate adding 3 percent to ¥2,555.

Among smaller domestically focused stocks, parking lot operator Park24 added 8.2 percent to ¥3,550 after use of its lots shot up after the government began to enforce parking rules.

After a decline on Tuesday due to an oil spill, Mitsui OSK was 2.5 percent higher to ¥828.

Losers on the domestic front included Futata, which dropped 10.9 percent to ¥735 after Aoki said it would not up its bid for the menswear retailer.

The Tokyo equities markets were mixed on Tuesday, with the Nikkei 225 dropping 0.3 percent to 15,816.19, while the Topix index added 0.3 percent to 1,605.12.

Among losers on the day was Sony which fell 0.4 percent to ¥5,210 after it was revealed that Dell has had to recall over 4 million laptop computers due to defective batteries manufactured by Sony. Shipper Mitsui OSK, meanwhile, was 2.9 percent lower to ¥808 after it said one of its ships caused a spill in the Indian Ocean.

Financial sectors did well on the day. The securities sector added 1.8 percent as a whole, with Nikko Cordial 1.9 percent higher to ¥1,480 and Nomura up 2.1 percent to ¥2,150. Banks were also up, with Mizuho gaining 0.4 percent to ¥957,000 and Mitsubishi UFJ up 0.6 percent to ¥1,610,000.

Among consumer finance companies, Credit Saison added 2.3 percent to ¥5,250 on the news that it might be possible that consumer lenders might avoid the government’s plan to put a cap on how much interest these non-bank lenders are allowed to charge on their loans.

The retail sector was 0.5 percent higher as a whole, with department store chain Isetan adding 0.8 percent to ¥1,981.

Mitsui Fudosan was also up 0.8 percent on the session to ¥2,610, outdoing the real estate sector as a whole, which was 0.6 percent higher.

The Tokyo finance markets were higher on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index each added 0.2 percent, to 15,464.29 and 1,569.65 respectively. The Mothers index of small and mid-caps was even higher, gaining 5 percent to 1,277.3.

Oji Paper was 2.1 percent higher to ¥681 after it said it will continue to pursue its hostile takeover bid for Hokuetsu Paper Mills. Hokuetsu gained 3.8 percent to ¥814.

The pharmaceuticals sector was mixed. Takeda added 0.8 percent to ¥7,540 and Daiichi Sankyo was up by 2 percent to ¥3,310. Astellas, however, dropped 1.3 percent to ¥4,510 after higher research expenditures and lower prices on its products led to a decline of 64 percent in quarterly profits.

Export-focused businesses saw share prices fall. Camera and copier maker Canon was 0.9 percent lower to ¥5,400, while Sony declined by 1 percent to ¥5,180. Heavy machinery manufacturer Komatsu fell 1.1 percent to ¥2,275 and industrial robot maker Fanuc ended the session down 2 percent to ¥9,330.

Industrial electronics manufacturer Hitachi dropped 3.5 percent to 693 after it was said that it is being urged to pay more than ¥100 billion to compensate Chubu Electric Power after one of the utility’s nuclear plants shut down because a Hitachi-designed turbine was flawed.

Banks were down on the session. Mizuho Financial fell 0.4 percent to ¥939,000, while Mitsubishi UFJ dropped 0.6 percent to ¥1,556,000 after its quarterly report disappointed investors.