This file photo shows the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Oct. 2, 2020. (Mainichi)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks ended slightly lower Thursday as investors moved to lock in gains after the market's four-day winning streak, while sentiment was weighed down by Japan's ongoing COVID-19 surge.

       The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 55.49 points, or 0.20 percent, from Wednesday at 28,015.02. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 0.53 point, or 0.03 percent, lower at 1,953.55.

       Decliners were led by land transportation, air transportation, and farm and fishery issues.

       The U.S. dollar stayed in the lower 110 yen range after the currency was sold on speculation that a dip in U.S. Treasury yields following the release of modest inflation figures for July would narrow the interest rate gap between the United States and Japan, dealers said.

       Stocks opened higher after the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose to a record high for the second straight day, with the consumer price index data showing slowing inflation in July, alleviating fears of an early tapering of monetary stimulus, brokers said.

       But momentum in the market slowed before it fell into negative territory in the afternoon as investors locked in recent gains after shares rose for four consecutive days. The market was also weighed down by losses in Asian counterparts.

       "The market tracked record highs in the United States, but losses on large-cap semiconductor shares and profit-taking after the Nikkei hit the 28,000 mark limited the upside," said Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities Co.

       The surge in COVID-19 cases in Japan has also injured sentiment as the recent peak greatly exceeded previous records, he added.

       On the First Section, advancing issues outnumbered decliners 1,049 to 1,024, while 117 ended unchanged.

       Rakuten Group plunged 86 yen, or 6.4 percent, to 1,257 yen after the e-commerce giant said Wednesday it incurred a larger net loss in the January-June period compared with a year earlier.

       Meiji Holdings dropped 310 yen, or 4.5 percent, to 6,640 yen after the major confectionery firm released a lackluster earnings report on Thursday, with its operating profit in the April-June quarter falling 19.6 percent from a year earlier.

       Among chip-related shares, Screen Holdings fell 180 yen, or 1.7 percent, to 10,110 yen, while Tokyo Electron declined 700 yen, or 1.5 percent, to 45,340 yen.

       Trading volume on the main section fell to 1,044.17 million shares from Wednesday's 1,160.13 million shares.

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