Market players said domestic buyers emerged, though whether they were retail investors or pension funds, which were said to have supported the market earlier this week, remained unclear.
"The news out of the United States is very bad and, speaking honestly, the environment now seems completely dark," said Koichi Ogawa, chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments.
"But whether it's bargain hunting or what, there is buying, perhaps on expectations of a technical rebound in New York after such a swift fall."
