Japanese shares close down 0.81 per cent

Japanese shares fell 0.81 per cent on Friday after a sluggish session on Wall Street and continuing fears over Europe's fiscal woes, with investors eyeing US jobs data later in the day. The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 79.16 points to 9,688.45, while the Topix of all first-section shares shed 0.82 per cent, or 6.86 points, to 825.71. (ninemsn.com.au)