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Japanese share edged up on Thursday, although wider gains in industrial-related stocks were offset by weakness in banking shares as activity waned heading into the year-end.
The Nikkei was up 0.15 per cent at 22,945.67 at the end of morning trading. The broader Topix was nearly flat, up 0.01 per cent at 1,829.99, reports Reuters.
Friday is the last trading day of 2017, for which the Nikkei is on track to have gained more than 20 per cent.
Stronger sectors included textiles, up 0.6 per cent, iron and steel, up 0.6 per cent, and non-ferrous metals, up 0.7 per cent.
The banking sub-index slumped 0.7 per cent, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group down 1.3 per cent.
Idemitsu Kosan Co shares dropped 1.8 per cent.
Nippon Sheet Glass Co fell 3.1 per cent, a day after it cut its fiscal year net profit forecast.