People walk by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, on Jan. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks ended almost flat Friday as dip-buying after the Nikkei index's sharp fall the previous day was offset by concerns over a COVID-19 resurgence in Japan.

       The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 9.31 points, or 0.03 percent, from Thursday at 28,478.56. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 1.33 points, or 0.07 percent, lower at 1,995.68.

       Decliners were led by land transportation, and electric appliance issues, while mining and bank issues led gainers.

       The U.S. dollar was little changed in the upper 115 yen range in Tokyo as investors took a wait-and-see approach ahead of the release later in the day of U.S. jobs data for December.

       Tokyo stocks opened higher, briefly rising over 300 points, as investors scooped up battered shares a day after the Nikkei index plunged nearly 3 percent, its largest one-day drop in over six months.

       However, the market fell into negative territory on fears over growing COVID-19 infections in Japan ahead of the government's declaration of a quasi-state of emergency in three prefectures, brokers said.

       "Investors also moved to close out their positions ahead of the U.S. job data and Japan's three-day weekend," said Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co.

       Japan reported over 4,000 COVID cases on Thursday for the first time since Sept. 18, with the community spread of the Omicron variant found in areas including Tokyo and Osaka.

       On the First Section, declining issues outnumbered advancers 1,218 to 853, while 114 ended unchanged.

       Some land transportation and leisure-related issues were sold on fears that people will refrain from traveling due to the COVID resurgence.

       East Japan Railway was down 126 yen, or 1.8 percent, to 6,821 yen, and Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land dipped 175 yen, or 1.0 percent, to 17,830 yen.

       Bucking the downward trend, some energy-related shares were boosted after crude oil futures rose in New York trading, with Idemitsu Kosan gaining 75 yen, or 2.5 percent, to 3,120 yen, and Inpex adding 37 yen, or 3.7 percent, to 1,031 yen.

       Trading volume on the main section rose to 1,289.05 million shares from Thursday's 1,210.64 million shares.

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