Japan logged a trade deficit of 323.9 billion yen ($3 billion) in January, according to finance ministry data released 10 minutes before the opening bell.
For the fiscal year ending March 31, Toyota said it now forecasts a record operating profit of 2 trillion yen, far higher than an earlier prediction of 1.3 trillion yen.
Toyota said on Thursday its group-wide global sales fell 11.3% to 9.528 million vehicles in 2020.
Automakers have suffered as coronavirus lockdowns have stopped people from visiting car showrooms and forced manufacturing plants to reduce or halt production.
Bio-tech firm JCR Pharmaceuticals rallied 5.9 percent to 2,904 yen after a report said it will produce undiluted Covid-19 vaccine developed by the British drug group AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Tesla's rivals and Chinese partners of General Motors, Toyota and Honda also follow NIO's lead to develop cutting-edge batteries that can allow automobiles to achieve the 1000km driving range on a single charge.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index, which jumped 16 percent last year, lost 0.68 percent, or 185.79 points, to 27,258.38, while the broader Topix index was down 0.56 percent, or 10.09 points, to 1,794.59.
Japan’s top automaker said it now expects an operating profit of 1.3 trillion yen ($12.6 billion) for the year through March, 2021, up from the 500 billion it predicted previously.