Tokyo stocks edged down on Friday, with the benchmark Nikkei stock index retreating 0.06 percent on ongoing concerns about a lack of cohesion between leaders in the crisis-hit eurozone.
Local brokers said that a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Prime Minister Mario Monti of Italy at which the three stated they would continue to stand by the euro, failed to impress.
They said that investors were hoping to see the European Central Bank's (ECB) role expanded so that it would have the capability to lend to debt-ridden countries in the eurozone.
But Merkel continued to tow her line and stated that the ECB should remain independent, despite some analysts believing that this could unravel the very fabric of the eurozone and derail its future as a single-currency hub. (Xinhua)
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