This Oct. 1, 2020 file photo shows the Tokyo Stock Exchange. (Mainichi)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks fell moderately Wednesday as concerns remained over the ongoing resurgence in COVID-19 infections and some investors were disappointed with an earnings forecast left unchanged by Toyota Motor Corp.

       The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 57.75 points, or 0.21 percent, from Tuesday at 27,584.08. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 9.71 points, or 0.50 percent, lower at 1,921.43.

       Decliners were led by nonferrous metal, wholesale trade and pharmaceutical issues.

       The U.S. dollar remained weak around the 109 yen line throughout the day as traders grew cautious about a possible narrowing of the U.S.-Japanese interest rate gap following an overnight fall in U.S. Treasury yields, dealers said.

       At 5 p.m., the dollar fetched 109.10-12 yen compared with 108.98-109.08 yen in New York and 109.21-23 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

       The euro was quoted at $1.1877-1878 and 129.58-62 yen against $1.1859-1869 and 129.34-44 yen in New York and $1.1877-1879 and 129.71-75 yen in Tokyo late Tuesday afternoon.

       The 10-year Japanese government bond yield fell 0.015 percentage point from Monday's close to an eight-month low of 0.000 percent following lower U.S. yields overnight. The bellwether Japanese bond was untraded Tuesday.

       Selling took the upper hand during the day on concerns over the adverse impact on the Japanese economy of the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant in the Olympic host city of Tokyo and other parts of Japan, brokers said.

       "Concerns about the resurgence in coronavirus infections and the impact on corporate earnings kept investors on edge," said Toshikazu Horiuchi, an equity strategist at IwaiCosmo Securities Co.

       The market was also weighed down by selling in shares of Toyota, which slipped 85 yen, or 0.8 percent, to 9,970 yen after the world's top automaker kept its earnings outlook unchanged for the business year through March citing uncertainty, although its net profit in the April to June quarter jumped 5.7-fold from a year earlier.

       "Some investors, who had expected Toyota would raise its full-year earnings forecast, secured profits following the earnings release," Horiuchi said.

       On the First Section, declining issues outnumbered advancers 1,648 to 473, while 69 ended unchanged.

       Export-oriented electric appliance makers were sold after the yen advanced slightly against the U.S. dollar overnight.

       Sharp dropped 15 yen, or 0.9 percent, to 1,672 yen, Panasonic declined 5.50 yen, or 0.4 percent, to 1,330.50 yen and Hitachi shed 27 yen, or 0.4 percent, to 6,083 yen.

       Trading volume on the main section rose to 1,074.02 million shares from Tuesday's 971.87 million shares.

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