Nikkei ends slightly lower following BOJ inaction

Nikkei ended slightly lower Wednesday as selling triggered by the Bank of Japan's inaction was offset by buybacks on a halt in the yen's strength. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed down 28.30 points, or 0.21 percent, from Tuesday at 13,289.32 after sliding to as low as 12,994.08. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 4.61 points, or 0.42 percent, at 1, 096.54. Decliners were led by paper, real estate and automakers, while gainers included utilities, retailers and textile firms. The turnover was about 2,276.8 billion yen (23.59 billion U.S. dollars).