TOKYO, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks ended mixed Thursday with trading volume hitting the lowest point of the year.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, saw gains for the third consecutive day, ending up 62.26 points, or 0.16 percent, from Wednesday to close the day at 38,633.02.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 3.10 points, or 0.11 percent, lower at 2,725.54.
Market watchers here pointed out that despite downward pressure due to concerns over political uncertainty and fiscal outlook in Europe as well as about the impact of certification fraud in the automotive sector here in Japan, buying of tech heavyweight issues erased losses in the morning session, tracking a rise in U.S. tech futures.
On the Prime Market, gainers were led by air transportation and mining issues, while top decliners were marine transportation and securities issues.
Market activity remained subdued here on Thursday, with trading value on the Prime Market reaching about 3.1756 trillion yen (20.05 billion U.S. dollars), marking the lowest level of the year. Trading volume also hit a yearly low at 1.31087 billion shares.
Issues that declined outpaced those that advanced by 840 to 746, while 60 ended the day unchanged. ■
