The Tokyo equities markets saw gains on Friday.

The Nikkei 225 gained 0.2 percent to 18,157.93 and the Topix closed at 1,776.17, 0.5 percent higher on the session.

In the electronics sector, Matsushita Electric Industrial (TYO: 6572; NYSE: MC), which makes the Panasonic brand of consumer electronics, added 1.5 percent to ¥2,385.

The steel sector was also higher, with Nippon Steel (TYO: 5401) adding 3.9 percent to ¥955 after it was reported that Japan’s output of crude steel was at a 33-year high in the first half of 2007.

On the other hand, the telecommunications sector was lower after KDDI (TYO: 9433) and Softbank (TYO: 9984) both decided to cut fees to mobile phone users.

NTT DoCoMo (TYO: 9437) fell 1.1 percent to ¥181,000, while Softbank dropped 2.7 percent to ¥2,665 and KDDI was 6.1 percent lower to ¥853,000.

The consumer finance sector also saw losses.

Sanyo Shinpan (TYO: 8573) was 2.2 percent lower to ¥3,520, while Takefuji fell 5.4 percent to ¥3,820 and Promise was down 6.6 percent to ¥3,540.

Tokyo’s equities markets were higher on Thursday, as the Nikkei 225 added 0.6 percent to 18,116.57 and the Topix index gained 0.5 percent to 1,768.

Tokyo Electric Power (TYO: 9501) continued to decline after reports of earthquake damage to one of its nuclear power plants.

It dropped another 5.6 percent to ¥3,400 after Nomura Securities (TYO: 8604; NYSE: NMR; SGX; N33) reduced its recommendation from “neutral” to “reduce”.

The real estate sector also saw declines, with Mitsubishi Estate (TYO: 8802) down 0.9 percent to ¥3,180 and NTT Urban Development (TYO: 8933) falling 1.4 percent to ¥217,000.

The consumer finance sector saw advances after it was reported that Promise (TYO: 8574) and Sanyo Shinpan Finance (TYO: 8573) are about to agree to a merger.

Trade in both companies was halted after the reports, but Promise had added 5.9 percent to ¥3,790 and Sanyo Shinpan was 12.2 percent higher to ¥3,600 before that occurred.

Elsewhere in the sector, Takefuji (TYO: 8564) gained 7.7 percent to ¥4,404 and Aiful (TYO: 8515) was up 11.2 percent to ¥3,480.

The steel sector was up in anticipation of the release of JFE Holdings’ (TYO:5411) quarterly results, due at the end of the month.

JFE added 4.4 percent to ¥8,270, while Nippon Steel (TYL: 5401) was 4.7 percent higher to ¥919.

Weakness in the yen helped the Tokyo equities markets to make gains on Thursday. However, advances were limited on the Nikkei because of a scandal in the consumer finance sector. The Nikkei 225 closed at 17,047.83, a gain of 0.2 percent, while the Topix index added 0.3 percent to 1,671.30.

Export-focused sectors were especially helped by the weak yen. Toyota added 1.7 percent to ¥7,680, while construction equipment manufacturer Komatsu gained 3.4 percent to ¥2,410.

The utilities sector also saw gains again, as the sector has gained 17.5 percent since the end of September on high dividend payments to shareholders. Tokyo Electric Power was 1 percent higher to ¥3,910 and Kansai Electric Power was up 1.6 percent to ¥3,260.

The steel sector advanced on positive comments from Merrill Lynch and on the possibility of further consolidation in the sector worldwide. Nippon Steel gained 0.5 percent to ¥601 on rumors that it will gain control of Brazilian steel company Usiminas. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Metal Industries added 4.9 percent to ¥493 on a Merrill Lynch upgrade from “neutral” to “buy”.

Consumer finance companies were affected by a 12-day business suspension of Sanyo Shinpan for improper practices. Shinpan dropped 5.5 percent to ¥3,260, while Aiful fell 5.1 percent to ¥3,360 and Credit Saison was 2.7 percent lower to ¥4,020.

In the securities sector, Nikko Cordial began a comeback after being fined for accounting irregularities, adding 7.1 percent to ¥1,237.

The Nikkei 225 was lower on Wednesday in Tokyo, falling 0.2 percent to 16,375.26, while the Topix index gained 0.3 percent to 1,622.51 as banks saw advances.

The banking sector was up 1.4 percent as a whole after the Bank of Japan issued a strong report on the economy. Mitsubishi UFJ added 1.4 percent, matching the sector, to ¥1,490,000. The report has raised hopes that interest rates could be increased sooner than had been expected.

The consumer finance sector also saw gains on the session. Acom was 4.7 percent higher to ¥4,710, while Sanyo Shinpan gained 4.9 percent to ¥4,690 and Takefuji added 6.1 percent to ¥4,500 as investors seemed to decide that recent losses have made share prices in the sector a bargain.

In the telecommunications sector, Softbank fell again, by 4.9 percent to ¥2,435, as it continued to lose customers since number portability was introduced. After questioning from the Fair Trade Commission, Softbank also said Wednesday that it will review its advertisements for price cuts.

Real estate was 0.7 percent lower as a sector on the session, and is down 5 percent in just over a week. Sumitomo Realty & Development dropped 2.1 percent on the session, to ¥3,800.

Tokyo’s equities markets were mixed on Tuesday, with the Nikkei 225 0.3 percent higher to 16,399.39 but the Topix index dropping 0.2 percent to 1,617.42 on the session.

The banking sector was 1.2 percent lower as a whole as the possibility of interest rates going up again has declined amid domestic economic data which hasn’t lived up to expectations. Meanwhile, the consumer finance sector saw another round of declines after some companies reduced their earnings estimates for the first half of the year. Aiful declined 1 percent to ¥4,040, while Acom dropped 2 percent to ¥4,500 and Promise ended 3 percent lower to ¥4,230. Sanyo Shinpan Finance fell 5.9 percent to ¥4,470.

The telecommunications sector did little better. Softbank dropped 2.9 percent to ¥2,560 after it became known that Japan’s Fair Trade Commission is concerned about the company’s new pricing plan. The news that Softbank lost around 20,000 customers in the first five days of number portability also contributed to its decline. NTT DoCoMo fell 1.1 percent to ¥179,000, also on a decline in the number of its customers. KDDI, on the other hand, added 0.3 percent to ¥729,000 on a gain of tens of thousands of customers.

An upgraded target share price from Deutsche Bank sent property developer Tokyo Tatemono 1.9 percent higher to ¥1,396.

Lower than expected profits reports from consumer finance companies sent Tokyo equities markets lower on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 was 0.8 percent lower to 14,884.07, while the Topix index was down by 0.9 percent to 1,520.44

Consumer finance was not the only sector with losses, however. The electronics sector was down, with NEC falling 0.2 percent to ¥578 and Matsushita Electric Industrial down 0.4 percent to ¥578 even though the two announced they were embarking on a joint venture to develop mobile phone software in an effort to cut costs. Sony dropped 0.6 percent to ¥4,910, while Sharp fell 1.4 percent to ¥1,865 even though it reported operating profits that were up 14 percent.

The high cost of raw materials sent tire maker Bridgestone down by 2.6 percent to ¥2,030.

In the consumer finance sector, Acom dropped 2.8 percent to ¥5,180. Takefuji was down 4.2 percent to ¥5,460, Promise was down 5.3 percent to ¥5,150, and Aiful was 7.6 percent lower to ¥4,230. Sanyo Shinpan was by far the biggest loser in the sector, with a decline of 14.6 percent to ¥4,510 after it said its quarterly earnings were down by 47 percent.

The paper and pulp sector was mixed, with Oji Paper up 1.4 percent to ¥672 but Hokuetsu Paper Mills 2.7 percent lower to ¥768. Hokuetsu is in the process of trying to repel a takeover attempt from Oji.

The Tokyo equities markets saw big gains on Thursday, mostly after comments out of the United States that US inflation would likely not continue to rise. The Nikkei 225 added 3.1 percent to 14,946.84, while the Topix index was up 3.6 percent to 1,528.59. Meanwhile, the Mother’s index of small and mid-caps gained 7.1 percent to 1,225.43. Gains were seen in both domestic and export-focused sectors.

Securities, banks, and non-bank consumer finance sectors all saw substantial gains. The consumer finance sector added 6.1 percent as a whole, with Aiful up 5.3 percent to ¥5,000, while Promise was 5.7 percent higher to ¥5,720 and Sanyo Shinpan gained 6 percent to ¥5,470.

In the securities sector, Nomura added 5.1 percent to ¥2,065, Mizuho Trust advanced by 6.1 percent to ¥278, Nikko Cordial gained 6.9 percent to ¥1,338, and Daiwa Securities was up 7.8 percent to ¥1,333.

Among banks, Mizuho gained 3.6 percent to ¥961,000, while Sumitomo Mitsui added 4.2 percent to ¥1,250,000, Resona advanced by 5.5 percent to ¥362,000, and Bank of Yokohama was up 6.4 percent to ¥925.

Japan Airlines turned around its series of losses to add 6.8 percent to ¥235. The advance came after it priced new shares at ¥211, a move which seemed to spur investors to put a bit more confidence in JAL’s new share offering.

Electronics and carmakers also saw gains on the session. Canon reversed early week losses to advance by 3 percent to ¥5,400, while Sony was up 3.4 percent to ¥4,830. Matsushita Electric Industrial added 4.8 percent to ¥2,200.

In the automobile manufacturing sector, Toyota was up 3.2 percent to ¥5,800 and Honda added 4.6 percent to ¥3,640.