The slide in consumer confidence in the US hurt exporters in Tokyo, where the Nikkei 225 dropped 1.69 percent to 16,012.83 and the Topix was down 1.71 percent to 1,557.55 on Wednesday.

The Mothers market of small and mid-caps fell 2.09 percent to 716.06.

A major exception to the declines was the internet sector.

In the internet sector, price-comparison site Kakaku.Com (TYO: 2371) gained 15 percent to ¥314,000 after it said it will sell part of its travel information unit to Yahoo! Japan (TYO: 4689).

Yahoo! Japan added 4.6 percent to ¥43,450 on the announcement.

Manufacturers of motor vehicles were mixed on the session.

While Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) dropped 2 percent to ¥6,530, truck maker Isuzu Motors (TYO: 7202) added 4.4 percent to ¥598 after it said it is planning to raise operating profit by expanding sales overseas.

Camera maker Canon (TYO: 7751; NYSE: CAJ) fell 2.1 percent to ¥6,400, while in Osaka game console maker Nintendo (TYO: 7974; NAS: NTDOY; FWB: NTO) was 3.7 percent lower to ¥52,000. Financial services also saw declines.

Among banks, Mitsubishi UFJ (TYO: 8306; NYSE: MTU) fell 0.9 percent to ¥1.1 million, while Sumitomo Mitusi (TYO: 8316) was down 1.3 percent to ¥890,000.

Broker Nomura Holdings (TYO: 8604; NYSE: NMR; SGX: N33) was 1.6 percent lower to ¥1,987.

The real estate sector was down 2.1 percent as a whole, while Sumitomo Realty & Development (TYO: 8830) dropped 3.3 percent to ¥3,760.

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.

In Tokyo on Monday the Nikkei 225 was 3 percent higher to 15,732.48, while the Topix index added 2.9 percent to 1,523.57 and the Mothers market was up 0.98 percent to 695.18.

Export-focused stocks saw gains after the yen weakened versus the US dollar.

The automobile manufacturing sector was up around 4 percent as a whole, with Honda Motor (TYO: 7267; NYSE: HMC) adding 3.46 percent to ¥3,590.

Nissan Motor (TYO: 7201) gained 3.69 percent to ¥1,097, Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) was up 4.2 percent to ¥6,450 and Isuzu Motor (TYO: 7202) was 5.3 percent higher to ¥517.

In the electronics sector, Sony (TYO: 6758; NYSE: SNE) added 3.17 percent to ¥5,210, while camera maker Canon (TYO: 7751; NYSE: CAJ) was up 7.6 percent to ¥5,810.

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Wednesday on sell-offs in the telecommunications sector. The Nikkei 225 dropped 16,215.74, a decline of 1.1 percent, while the Topix index was 1.2 percent lower to 1,597.50.

The automobile manufacturing sector saw gains. Toyota Motor added 1.8 percent to ¥7,230 after it reported record profits in an interim report and predicted that operating profits for the full year will be at ¥2,200 billion. Isuzu Motor, meanwhile, added 12.1 percent to ¥465 on the news that Toyota will acquire a 5.9 percent share in the company.

In the telecommunications sector, Softbank dropped 4.1 percent to ¥2,340 in anticipation of the release of an earnings report. After the close, it said that it had seen profit in the first half of its fiscal year on acquisitions in its telecoms operations and better performance in its internet business.

Astellas Pharma was down 1.7 percent to ¥5,200 on a reduced full-year prediction and on negative remarks from UBS.

Japan Airlines was 1.4 percent lower to ¥218 on a report that its operating profit was down by half in the first half of its fiscal year and after it said it was cutting its full-year forecast by 24 percent. The air carrier said that its first half profit was affected by slow demand for its domestic flights.