Share prices closed lower for the first time in four trading days, as investors opted for cash after benchmark indices surged to more than four-year closing highs yesterday, dealers said. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average ended down 67.70 points or 0.5 pct at 12,834.25, off a low of 12,830.88. Yesterday, the blue-chip index rose to 12,901.95, its highest close since June 29, 2001. The broader-TOPIX index of all First Section shares lost 3.41 points or 0.3 pct to 1,312.35. Yesterday, it closed at 1,315.76, its highest in four years and three months. Decliners beat winners 834 to 683, with 140 issues unchanged. Volume was 2.40 bln shares, down from 2.59 bln shares traded yesterday. "Share prices were weaker today as market participants were nervous about the recent rapid rise, especially when the Nikkei index was nearing the 13,000 mark, and opted to cash in gains," said Norihiro Fujito, senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi Securities. Daiwa SB Investment chief fund manager Koichi Ogawa said Wall Street's weak performance overnight also spurred market participants to take profits. Fujito at Mitsubishi Securities said active buying by foreign investors supported the market, while domestic institutional investors took profits ahead of the closing of their books for the fiscal first half to September. Among notable decliners were trading houses, banks, non-life insurers, property developers, cable makers, ceramic producers, tire makers, oil refiners, toiletry makers and food and beer producers. Among trading houses, Mitsui & Co fell 27 yen or 2.2 pct to 1,186 and Sojitz slid 8 yen or 1.4 pct to 557. Oil refiner Showa Shell Sekiyu dropped 20 yen or 1.5 pct to 1,338. Major brewer Sapporo Holdings declined 9 yen or 1.7 pct to 533, while Yakult Honsha, a leading maker of fermented lactic drinks, gained 120 yen or 4.9 pct to 2,580. Snow Brand Milk rose 10 yen or 2.3 pct to 438. In the cable sector, Oki Electric Cable gave up 13 yen or 2.9 pct to 434 and Furukawa Electric was down 143 yen or 2.6 pct to 516. Select semiconductors advanced, with Oki Electric Industries rising 9 yen or 2.3 pct to 398 and Fujitsu up 13 yen or 1.8 pct at 731. High-tech companies were mixed, with TDK gaining 150 yen or 1.7 pct to 8,420 and Nikon up 21 yen or 1.5 pct at 1,456. Consumer electronic makers were mixed. Sanyo Electric added 8 yen or 2.6 pct to 310 and JVC rose 21 yen or 2.8 pct to 724. Sony fell 70 yen or 1.7 pct to 3,980. It unveiled its plan to start selling here in October a new range of liquid crystal display (LCD) and LCD rear projection television sets, in a move to reinvigorate its loss-making TV business in an increasingly competitive market. Supermarket operator Daiei rallied 85 yen or 3.6 pct to 2,465. Analysts said the decline in department store sales for last month was a cause for concern. Department store sales in Tokyo fell 6.1 pct in August from a year earlier to 120.8 bln yen, the first drop in two months, the Japan Department Stores Association said. "A softer tone in the Tokyo department store sales released today appears to be a bit of concern. Active purchases by foreigners were based on expectations that Japan's personal spending will remain robust. Any evidence which shows otherwise may prompt them to reconsider investing in Japan," Ogawa of Daiwa SB Investment said. Department store operator Mitsukoshi fell 11 yen or 2.1 pct to 504 while Takashiyama, the biggest in the country, eased 2 yen at 1,286. Non-life insurance company Sompo Japan dropped 57 yen or 4.0 pct to 1,372 and Sumitomo Mitsui Insurance shed 23 yen or 1.8 pct at 1,237. Leading property developer Mitsui Fudosan slid 26 yen or 1.6 pct to 1,599. Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial, the second-largest banking group here, tumbled 20,000 yen or 1.7 pct to 1,140,000. Taiheiyo Cement rose 8 yen or 2.0 pct and Sumitomo Osaka Cement added 6 yen or 1.9 pct to 329.