Tokyo's Nikkei index falls after choppy trade

TOKYO - Tokyo's blue-chip Nikkei shares drifted lower on Wednesday as investors digested corporate earnings.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index eased 0.11 percent or 40.74 points to end at 36,119.92, while the broader Topix index added 0.42 percent, or 10.70 points, at 2,549.95.

The dollar stood at 147.92 yen, nearly flat from 147.91 yen in New York.

Large-cap shares and semiconductor stocks faced selling, while businesses with strong earnings reports advanced.

"The market lacked a sense of direction today. Some went up and others went down on corporate earnings," Chihiro Ota of SMBC Nikko Securities said.

"There was a tug-of-war between bargain-hunters and those locking in profit," he said.

Among major shares, Toyota gained for a second day, rising 3.99 percent to 3,260 yen, as investors continued to cheer the automaker's strong earnings report on Tuesday.

Semiconductor-related shares fell. Tokyo Electron dropped 0.52 percent to 28,480 yen and Advantest fell 0.84 percent to 6,115.

Convenience store chain Lawson skyrocketed 15.22 percent to 10,270 and its parent and trading house Mitsubishi Corp surged 9.74 percent to 2,782 yen, while telecom operator KDDI dropped 1.96 percent to 4,599.

The three companies announced on Tuesday that KDDI will increase shares in Lawson to take it private, and will run the convenience store chain with Mitsubishi.