Nikkei edges down as exporters weigh, Nissan up

* Exporters drag on Nikkei as investors take profits

* Nissan climbs after switching guidance to profit

TOKYO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average lost 0.5 percent on Thursday with Canon Inc (7751.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and other exporters slipping as investors took profits, though gains in banking shares helped keep the market supported. But Nissan Motor Co (7201.T: Quote, Profile, Research) rose after Japan's third-biggest automaker revised its annual outlook to a profit from a loss on Wednesday as soaring sales in China helped drive quarterly earnings beyond market expectations. [ID:nT127974]

As expected, the Federal Reserve reiterated its intent to keep interest rates low on Wednesday. Though Wall Street rallied in response it soon lost steam, with investors turning their eyes to jobs data due out on Friday.

"A lot of investors are likely to be stay on the sidelines ahead of the jobs data, given that the September figures were worse than expected, and this is likely to keep stocks weak until then," said Nagayuki Yamagishi, a strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities.

The private-sector jobs report by ADP Employers Services showed companies cut 203,000 jobs in October, fewer than the revised 227,000 in September and the lowest since July 2008. [ID:nNo4349022]

Analysts polled by Reuters expect Friday's employment report to show that U.S. payrolls shrank by 175,000 and the unemployment rate hit a new 26-year-high of 9.9 percent in October.

The benchmark Nikkei .N225 lost 45.65 points to 9,798.66, while the broader Topix .TOPX shed 0.2 percent to 879.59.

Market players said investors were also likely to be less active as they waited for earnings of big name companies such as Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research), which will announce its results after the market closes on Thursday.