In Tokyo the Nikkei 225 was up 0.88 percent Thursday to 16,153.82, while the Topix index added 0.69 percent to 1,568.23 and the Mothers market gained a bare 0.03 percent to 716.29.

Volume was low, with only around 1.52 billion shares trading hands during the session.

Traders were up on higher oil prices.

Mitsubishi Corp (TYO: 8058; OTC: MSBHY) was up 3.7 percent to ¥3,080, while Mitsui & Company (TYO: 8031) was 1.4 percent higher to ¥2,260 on reports that it has won a contract in conjunction with a South Korean engineering and construction group to build a diesel processing plant in Egypt.

Also higher on higher oil prices was refiner Nippon Oil (TYO: 5001), which added 4.3 percent to ¥937.

Electronics-related companies were also higher after the yen weakened.

Sony (TYO: 6758; NYSE: SNE) gained 1.2 percent to ¥5,290, while rival game-console maker Nintendo (TYO: 7974; NAS: NTDOY; FWB: NTO) was up 2.5 percent to ¥53,300 in Osaka.

Retailers were down on the session after new data revealed that retail sales were down by 2.2 percent in July against an expected drop of only 0.8 percent.

Mitsukoshi Ltd (TYO: 2779) was 2.4 percent lower to ¥521, while clothing retailer Fast Retailing fell 3.1 percent to ¥6,670.

Major equities markets in Tokyo were lower on Wednesday.

The Nikkei 225 fell 0.8 percent to 17,858.42, while the Topix index dropped 0.68 percent to 1,754.03.

On the other hand, the Mothers market of small and mid-caps added 0.66 percent to close at 857.81.

The retail sector was mixed.

In mergers rumors, department stores Mitsukoshi (TYO: 2779) and Isetan (TYO: 8238) were said to be talking about making a capital alliance and could look to merge later on.

Mitsukoshi added 7.51 percent to ¥587 and Isetan closed even at ¥1,901, while elsewhere in the retail sector, Seven & I (TYO: 3382) fell 0.29 percent to ¥3,490.

Exporters were hurt by a stronger yen.

In the automobile manufacturing sector Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) was 1.33 percent lower to ¥7,410, while Honda Motor (TYO: 7267; NYSE: HMC) dropped 1.78 percent to ¥4,420.

In the electronics sector Sony (TYO: 6758; NYSE: SNE) was down 0.32 percent to ¥6,280 and Matushita Electric Industrial (TYO: 6572; NYSE: MC) fell 3.59 percent to ¥2,285.

In the oil sector, Nippon Oil (TYO: 5001) dropped 3.86 percent to ¥1,121 as the price of crude oil continued to decline.

Retail sectors advanced in Tokyo on Thursday after new gross domestic product figures showed that the Japanese economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.8 percent in the last quarter of 2006, above expectations of 3.8 percent growth for the quarter. It is widely expected that the Bank of Japan will use the new report as an excuse to hike interest rates when it next meets. The Nikkei 225 added 0.81 percent to 17,897.23, its highest close since May 2000. The Topix index gained 0.65 percent to 1,776.71.

Department stores and general retail both were helped by the new data. Among department stores, Marui added 7.28 percent to ¥1,533, while Mitsukoshi gained 7.75 percent to ¥584. Takashimaya was 10.03 percent higher to ¥1,690. Japan’s largest general retailer, Seven & I Holdings, was up 4.75 percent to ¥3,750.

The consumer finance sector, on the other hand, declined. Orient dropped 19.41 percent to ¥191 after it said it expects to incur losses for the current fiscal year. It blamed new, more stringent government rules on how much interest lenders can charger their customers for the anticipated narrowing of margins. Acom dropped 0.88 percent on the session, to ¥4,480.

With investors seeming to want to hold off on committing their money anywhere before the Bank of Japan makes its decision on interest rates Thursday, the Tokyo equities markets moved very little on Tuesday. The Nikkei 225 was unchanged at 17,202.46, while the Topix index was lower, but only by 0.1 percent to 1,703.54.

In the retail sector, department stores were lower on worries that early January sales will turn out to have been less than hoped. Mitsukoshi dropped 0.7 percent to ¥562, while Isetan fell 1.1 percent to ¥2,185. Takashimaya was 2.6 percent lower to ¥1,591 and Daimaru was down 2.7 percent to ¥1,507.

After an industry organization predicted double-digit growth for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, stocks related to the manufacture of computer chips saw gains. Tokyo Electron was 1.2 percent higher to ¥9,300, while Advantest gained 1.8 percent to ¥6,660.

The securities sector was still being helped by consolidation rumors. The sector as a whole added 0.5 percent, with Matsui Securities up 0.9 percent to ¥983 and Nikko Cordial added 2.1 percent to ¥1,337. Nikko Cordial, however, is still significantly lower than it was directly before an accounting scandal was revealed in December.

Equities markets in Tokyo were higher on Monday as investors looked for bargains. The Nikkei 225 was 0.9 percent higher to 16,692.76, while the Topix index gained 1.1 percent to 1,646.05. The Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks also saw gains, adding 3.6 percent to 1,181.33.

Consumer finance stocks benefited from the search for good buys. Aiful was up 4.2 percent to ¥4,260 on an upgrade from “sell” to “hold” from Deutsche Securities. Jaccs, which was hurt recently by a profits warning, gained 4.5 percent to ¥936.

The retail sector was 1.4 percent higher as a whole. Seven & I added 1 percent to ¥3,920, while Aeon was 1.3 percent higher to ¥2,795 on the news that its in partnership talks with Daiei. Department store chains Daimaru and Mitsukoshi were 2.8 and 2.9 percent higher, to ¥562 and ¥413 respectively.

In the electronics sector, Sony shared in help from a weak yen, adding 2.5 percent to ¥4,880. The consumer electronics and entertainment conglomerate also benefited from an upgrade from “equal weight” to “overweight” from Morgan Stanley. Sony’s gains came even though Toshiba is asking for damages over a recall of Sony batteries used in its products.

Another export-focused company, construction equipment manufacturer Komatsu, added 1.9 percent to ¥2,180.

The Tokyo equities markets were up on Tuesday as concerns that the US will raise interest rates again soon retreated. Export-reliant stocks did better than domestic stocks even though new data has supported the idea that the Japanese economy continues to recover. The Nikkei 225 added 0.4 percent to 15,638.50, while the Topix index gained 0.6 percent to 1,602.43. It was the first time in nearly a month that the Topix managed to close above the 6,000 level.

Retailers continued to rally with evidence that summer shoppers were active. Aeon and Isetan each added 1.8 percent, to ¥2,615 and ¥2,035 respectively. Department store operator Mitsukoshi gained 2.5 percent to ¥569.

Consumer electronics makers saw gains on expectations that the US market would continue to be strong. Kyocera was up 1.4 percent to ¥9,010. Sony also added 1.4 percent, to ¥5,100. Digital camera maker Canon gained 3.4 percent to ¥5,740.

Automobile manufacturers were also up on the session. Nissan was up 0.5 percent to ¥1,263, while Toyota gained 0.8 percent to ¥6,010. Mazda added 5.2 percent to ¥768 on an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy” from Goldman Sachs.

Japan Airlines, meanwhile, recovered a bit of Monday’s losses when it gained 1.5 percent to ¥277.

The Tokyo equities markets were up slightly on Monday after a new Tankan survey from the Bank of Japan showed that large companies are planning much larger levels of capital spending than they said they were in the last survey. The new numbers show that businesses are confident that the Japanese economic recovery will continue, and hinted that the Bank will abandon zero interest rates sooner rather than later.

The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index each added 0.4 percent, to 15,571.62 and 1,593.22 respectively.

The retail sector gained 1.2 percent as a whole. General retailer Aeon added 2.4 percent to ¥2,570, while department store chain Isetan gained 2.5 percent to ¥1,999. Another department store chain, Mitsukoshi, was up 6.1 percent to ¥555 after it announced strong operating profits for the quarter ending in May.

Miners saw advances as commodity prices rose once again. Mitsubishi Materials gained 3.1 percent to ¥503, while Sumitomo Metal Mining advanced by 5.4 percent to 1,572.

Japan Airlines dropped 4.9 percent to ¥273 after Friday’s news that it will have to sell new shares to update its fleet and cut debt.

Komatsu, the construction machinery maker, added 2.2 percent to ¥2,325.

Tokyo’s equities markets were up on Monday as optimism about the economy sent shares in both export-dependent and domestic sectors higher on the day. The Nikkei 225 closed at 16,391.51, 1.5 percent higher and its highest close in over a month. The Topix index gained 1.7 percent to close at 1.674.66.

Among domestics, the banking sector was up 1.5 percent on the day, while real estate gained 2.2 percent, securities were up 2.5 percent, and retailers grew by 1.7 percent as a whole. Land transport was up 2.5 percent.

Within export-heavy sectors, automible manufacturing was up, including a 1.4 percent jump to ¥7,150 for Honda. Electrical machinery also gained, with Sony gaining 1.1 percent to ¥5,580.

East Japan Railway, Japan’s largest railroad operator, was up 4.1 percent to ¥872,000.

In the real estate sector, Mitsui Fudosan gained 1.7 percent to ¥2,640, while Tokyu Land was up 4.8 percent to ¥1,068.

Among banks, Mitsubishi UFJ, gained 2.4 percent to ¥1,730,000, while SMFG rose by 1.6 percent to ¥1,290,000. In the securities sector Nomura, Japan’s largest house, advanced by 2.6 percent to ¥2,380.

The retail sector was mixed on the day, with department store chain Mitsukoshi up 2.8 percent to ¥690 but convenience store operator Lawson down 0.9 percent to ¥4,470 on profit taking.