Tokyo: Tokyo stocks closed lower Thursday with earlier gains in exporters erased by a drop in heavyweight technology stocks tracking recent declines in their U.S. counterparts. Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended down 185.96 points, or 0.48 percent, from Wednesday at 38,535.70. The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 7.20 points, or 0.27 percent, lower at 2,701.22.According to Namibia Press Agency, stocks initially attracted bargain-hunting, as investors bought back shares after a two-day losing streak on the benchmark Nikkei, with exporters seeking a weaker yen, analysts said. But the gains were more than offset by selling of semiconductor issues, as sentiment was dampened by recent weakness in U.S. chip shares and falling U.S. Nasdaq index futures, they added.