Japanese stocks dropped Friday after overnight losses on Wall Street, with exporters further hurt by a stronger yen and investors selling shares to lock in quick profits after recent gains, as dpa reported. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 145 points, or 1.45 per cent, to close at 9,859.2 after topping 10,000 on Monday, the last trading day, for the first time since the March 11 earthquake. The bourse was closed Tuesday through Thursday for national holidays. The broader Topix index was down 9.05 points, or 1.05 per cent, at 856.5. For the week, the Nikkei edged up 0.1 per cent while the Topix was up 0.55 per cent. The yen rose against major currencies, hovering in the mid 80-yen level to the dollar. A stronger yen makes Japanese goods more expensive overseas and erodes repatriated earnings. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 80.49-50 yen, down from Monday's 5 pm quote of 81.50-52 yen. The euro traded at 1.4556-4558 dollars, down from 1.4803-4804 dollars Monday, and at 117.16-19 yen, down sharply from 120.64-67 yen.
