Japanese stocks seen range-bound ahead of weekend

TOKYO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Japanese stocks are seen likely to
move in a narrow range on Friday, with investors holding off from
major moves ahead of a three-day weekend.

"It's hard to see the direction of the market given machinery
orders and SQ," said Kazuhiro Takahashi, general manager of
equity marketing at Daiwa Securities SMBC, referring to December
machinery orders data due out before the opening and the
settlement of index options contracts.

"But there's likely to be some buying in the afternoon ahead
of the weekend," he said.

The Tokyo market will be closed on Monday for a national
holiday.

Market participants see the Nikkei average .N225 moving
between 13,200 and 13,400 on Friday, compared with Thursday's
close of 13,207.15.

Nikkei futures traded in Chicago 2NKc1 finished at 13,260
on Thursday, 60 points above the Osaka JNIc1 close.
----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 2256 GMT ------------

INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG
S&P 500 .SPX 1336.91 0.79% 10.460
USD/JPY <JPY=> 107.32 -0.15% -0.160
10-YR US TSY YLD <US10YT=RR> 3.7703 -- 0.000
SPOT GOLD <XAU=> 908.8 0.00% 0.000
US CRUDE CLc1 88.11 0.00% 0.970
DOW JONES .DJI 12247.00 0.38% 46.90
-------------------------------------------------------------
> Wall St rises as valuations lure bargain-hunters [.N]
> Euro slides on growth fears, rate cut expectations [USD/]
> Bond prices sag after dismal 30-year sale [US/]
> Platinum powers to record high of $1,850, gold up [GOL/]
> Oil rises $1 on colder US weather forecasts [O/R]
STOCKS TO WATCH

-- Kirin Holdings Co Ltd (2503.T: Quote, Profile, Research)

Kirin forecast 10 percent growth in annual profit on
Thursday, with price hikes and the acquisition of an Australian
food firm offseting a steep rise in raw material costs and a flat
beer market at home. [ID:nT209802]

-- Softbank Corp (9984.T: Quote, Profile, Research)

Softbank said on Thursday its operating profit came to 92.44
billion yen ($860.2 million) for the October-December quarter, up
9.1 percent from a year earlier but below estimates of 95.3
billion yen from Mizuho and 98.7 billion yen from Lehman.
[ID:nT218539]

-- Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd (8801.T: Quote, Profile, Research)

Mitsui Fudosan posted a 12 percent rise in net profit on
Thursday for the first nine months of the business year, boosted
by a rise in office rents and the opening of four commercial
complexes in the Tokyo area last year. [ID:nT257138]

-- McDonald's Japan (2702.Q: Quote, Profile, Research)

McDonald's Japan, the nation's biggest fast-food chain,
posted a five-fold increase in annual net profit on Thursday and
predicted further growth as it opens new stores and refreshes its
menu. [ID:nT256705]

-- Tokyo Biso Kogyo Corp (9615.T: Quote, Profile, Research)

Secom Co Ltd (9735.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday it planned to raise
its stake in building maintenance service firm Tokyo Biso to
39.75 percent from 27.43 percent. Secom said it would offer 650
yen per share in a tender offer.

-- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) (9432.T: Quote, Profile, Research)

The firm plans to start SaaS (software as a service) business
this year using its next-generation fibre-optic network, lending
IT systems to clients, the Nikkei business daily reported on
Friday.

-- Hitachi Ltd (6501.T: Quote, Profile, Research)

Hitachi will sell 30 percent of plasma display panels it
plans to produce in the next business year, rather than using
them in its own products, mainly to Chinese television
manufacturers in an effort to raise the plant utilisation rate
and improve its money-losing flat panel TV business, the Nikkei
business daily reported on Friday.

-- Aeon Co Ltd (8267.T: Quote, Profile, Research)

The retailer plans to increase the number of its stores in
Asia outside Japan by more than three times to some 190 over
three years through Feb 2011, the Nikkei business daily reported
on Friday.
($1=107.46 Yen)
(Reporting by Taiga Uranaka, Editing by Michael Watson)