TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed mixed Thursday as some heavyweight technology shares drew selling, while growing speculation for a snap election helped lift the market.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 230.73 points, or 0.42 percent, from Wednesday at 54,110.50. The broader Topix index finished 24.82 points, or 0.68 percent, higher at 3,668.98, hitting closing record highs for a third consecutive day.
The main gainers were bank and transportation equipment issues, while information and communication and precision instrument shares were notable decliners.
The Nikkei stock index was pressured by some semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related issues tracking overnight losses among their U.S. counterparts. Some investors also moved to lock in gains after the benchmark surged more than 3,200 points over the past three trading days.
The U.S. dollar remained weak around the mid-158 yen level in Tokyo amid concerns about a possible yen-buying intervention after Japan's finance minister signaled Wednesday the government is ready to take necessary action to stem the currency's depreciation. ■
