Tokyo’s markets were lower Friday.

The Nikkei 225 fell 0.41 percent to 16,248.97, while the Topix index was down 0.37 percent to 1,585.85 and the Mothers market declined 1.79 percent to 726.77.

The electronics sector was mixed.

Matsushita Electric Industrial (TYO: 6572; NYSE: MC) fell 0.5 percent to ¥2,015, although Toshiba (TYO: 6502; LSE: TOS) added 1.4 percent to ¥1,068.

Optical glass manufacturer Hoya (TYO: 7741; OTC: HOCP) dropped 3.4 percent to ¥3,930.

Honda Motor (TYO: 7267; NYSE: HMC) was 0.5 percent lower to ¥3,700.

Elsewhere in the auto sector, however, Hino Motors (TYO: 7205) and Isuzu Motors (TYO: 7202) were both higher on rumors that were denied by both parties that they would join to develop lower-emission diesel engines.

Isuzu added 2 percent to ¥565, while Hino was 3.3 percent higher to ¥782.

Shippers were higher on the session.

Mitsui OSK Lines (TYO: 9104) was up 1.1 percent to ¥1,619, while Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (TYO: 9107) gained 1.2 percent to ¥1,619 and Nippon Yusen (TYO: 9101) advanced 1.8 percent to ¥1,116.

Camera makers were also higher, with Nikon (TYO: 7731) adding 2.7 percent to ¥3,370 and Canon (TYO: 7751; NYSE: CAJ) gaining 3.7 percent to ¥6,490.

Resisting the trend to gains in the Asia-Pacific region, Tokyo equities markets were lower on Wednesday.

The Nikkei 225 traded about even at 15,900.64, while the Topix index dropped 0.3 percent to 1,544.89 and the Mothers market fell 0.02 percent to 703.56.

Exporters were lower as it was announced that Japan’s trade surplus dropped in July for the first time in 9 months.

The surplus fell by 21.1 percent from a year earlier as exports grew by 11.7 percent but imports were up by 16.9 percent.

Optical glass maker Hoya (TYO: 7741; OTC: HOCP) dropped 1.5 percent to ¥3,890.

In the semiconductors sector, Advantest (TYO: 6857; NYSE: ATE) fell 0.9 percent to ¥4,220.

The automobile manufacturing sector was also hit by negative broker comment as Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) dropped its full-year profits forecast for several carmakers.

Toyota (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) was 0.5 percent lower to ¥6,550, while Honda Motor (TYO: 7267; NYSE: HMC) fell 1.1 percent to ¥3,630 and Nissan was down 1.5 percent to ¥1,107.

Banks were lower on fears that losses in the subprime crisis, so far fairly muted there, could increase as well as on new data that showed bank lending up at its slowest rate in almost a year and a half in July.

Mitsubishi UFJ (TYO: 8306; NYSE: MTU) and Sumitomo Mitsui (TYO: 8316) each were 1.8 percent lower, to ¥1.08 million and ¥884,000 respectively, while Resona Holdings (TYO: 8308) dropped 3.4 percent to ¥229,000.

Gains came for companies that benefited from the news that crude oil prices were lower.

Japan Airlines (TYO: 9205) added 4.2 percent to ¥250.

After losses early in the session, the Nikkei 225 managed to add 0.3 percent on Friday to close at 17,104.96. The Topix index was up as well, but only by 0.1 percent to 1,672.10

Miners with exposure to copper were lower on the day after copper prices fell overnight. Dowa Holdings dropped 2 percent to ¥990, while Sumitomo Metal Mining fell 2.8 percent to ¥1,474. Meanwhile, with oil prices also falling overnight, Nippon Mining Holdings, with upstream oil interests, dropped 1.7 percent to ¥852.

Mergers and acquisitions news sent glassmaker Hoya and camera manufacturer Pentax higher on the news that the two companies will merge. Hoya added 1.3 percent to ¥4,570, while Pentax was 5.9 percent higher to ¥731.

With a prediction that its global output would rise to 9.42 million cars in 2007, Toyota Motor gained 1.6 percent to ¥7,800. If Toyota’s expectations come to fruition, they would likely become the largest auto maker in the world.

Among domestically-focused sectors, real estate was up 1 percent as a whole. The sector was led by Mitsui Fudosan, which added 3.3 percent to ¥2,835 after Goldman Sachs upped its recommendation from “neutral” to “buy”. In the retail sector, meanwhile, department store Daimaru gained 2.8 percent to ¥1,552 on a higher dividend prediction.