TOKYO, Feb 5 - Tokyo's Nikkei average ended almost flat on Thursday as jittery investors failed to find incentives to buy shares ahead of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting and an earnings report from Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T>. After the market closed, Toyota, the world's second-biggest auto maker, reported an 11 percent rise in quarterly operating profit. Prior to the announcement, Toyota closed up 2.65 percent at 3,490.
Traders said a bearish tone dominated the market on Thursday because of the sluggish performance of U.S. stocks and growing concerns about the direction of the dollar/yen exchange rate. The benchmark Nikkei average <.N225> closed up 0.17 percent at 10,464.60 while the broader TOPIX Index <.TOPX> was up 0.28 percent at 1,025.48.//