Nikkei ended 0.31 percent lower Wednesday. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed down 43.18 points from Tuesday at 14,055.56. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 1.97 points, or 0.17 percent, at 1,173.81. Decliners included utilities, fishery and forestry, and communications issues while gainers included tire, real estate and mining companies. The turnover was about 2,321.6 billion yen (about 23.31 billion U.S. dollars).