TOKYO, Feb. 9 (Xinhua)-- Nikkei closed lower Thursday following a larger-than-expected drop in Japan's machinery orders in December.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed down 13.35 points, or 0.15 percent, from 9,002.24 on Wednesday.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished up 2.15 points, or 0.27 percent, at 784.49.
The turnover was about 1332 billion yen (about 17.24 billion U. S. dollars).
