The 225-issue Nikkei average on Thursday recorded its highest year-end closing level since the bubble era of the 1980s, despite posting small losses in thin trading ahead of a four-day holiday.
The benchmark slipped 0.40% to 28,791.71, with about 12 stocks declining for every one that rose. The broader Topix lost 0.33% to 1,992.33, but also marked the best year-end close since 1989, following a 10.4% rally this year.
The Nikkei has rallied 4.9% this year, driven by fiscal and monetary stimulus as well as optimism for a post-pandemic economic recovery that has lifted stocks to records globally this year.