Japanese stocks mixed in volatile trading

Japanese stocks were mixed Friday in volatile trading, with players saying that a quick recovery from recent big falls was unlikely and that they will be watching US markets for clues next week.The Nikkei 225 index shed 4.25 points, or 0.03 per cent, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to 16,979.86 points. Thursday, the index gained 0.67 per cent following Wednesday's loss of 2.2 per cent to 16,870.98 points, the lowest close since March 16.