TOKYO: Japanese government bond prices were little changed on Friday as investors awaited US non-farm payrolls later in the day for more clues on the timing of Federal Reserve increase rate hikes.

The five-year yield and benchmark 10-year yield were flat at minus 0.225 percent and minus 0.100 percent, respectively.

The Bank of Japan bought more than a trillion yen of one- to 10-year JGBs in a regular debt buying operation, helping to offset some of the negative pressure from higher Tokyo stocks.

Economists polled by Reuters expect the US economy to have added 164,000 jobs in May, up slightly from 160,000 in April.

Copyright Reuters, 2016