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| - Tokyo stocks opened lower on Wednesday with some investors seeking to lock in profits as few fresh trading cues emerged. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 0.18 percent or 40.82 points at 23,255.95 in early trade, while the broader Topix index slipped 0.30 percent or 4.95 points to 1,620.28. "The Japanese market today lacks a sense of direction," Okasan Online Securities said in a commentary. Investors are also cautious ahead of a Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium this week when international central bankers will gather in Wyoming in the US, it added. The dollar fetched 106.37 yen in early Asian trade, against 106.35 yen in New York. In Tokyo, some technology shares were lower, with Hitachi trading down 1.01 percent at 3,544 yen, and parts maker Murata Manufacturing down 0.31 percent at 6,380 yen. Honda was up 0.41 percent at 2,710 yen after a report said its Japanese plant will assume part of production previously done in its plant in the UK after the Swindon site closes next year. Its bigger rival Toyota barely changed, trading down 0.04 percent at 7,146 yen. Among other major shares, Sony was up 1.28 percent at 8,531 yen and SoftBank Group was up 2.46 percent at 6,580 yen. Wall Street shares were mixed, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both posting new all-time highs, while the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average was left out of the rally, retreating 0.2 percent. kh/sah/gle
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