Japan stocks fall on higher Yen 0.43%

Japanese shares declined Friday with market sentiment hurt by a stronger yen despite the central bank's decision on additional monetary easing. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average shed 40.94 points, or 0.43%, to end at 9,520.89 while the broader Topix index lost 5.83 points, or 0.72%, at 804.27. For the week, the Nikkei declined 0.42% and the Topix was down 0.94%. The yen climbed against major currencies, standing at the upper-80-yen level to the dollar. A stronger yen makes Japanese goods more expensive abroad and erodes repatriated revenues. The Bank of Japan decided to expand an asset-purchase programme to 70 trillion yen (864 billion dollars) from 65 trillion yen to help prop up the nation's economy. But the move was already priced in, analysts said. Japan's unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.5 per cent in March, the government said. The government also reported Japan's industrial production edged up a seasonally adjusted 1 per cent in March from the previous month, the first rise in two months, and that the nation's core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, climbed 0.2 per cent in March from a year earlier for the second consecutive month of increase. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 80.86-87 yen, down from Thursday's 5 pm quote of 81.11-12 yen. The euro was quoted at 106.62-63 yen, down from 107.52-56 yen late Thursday, and at 1.3185-3186 dollars, down from 1.3256-3257 dollars.