HONG KONG (AP) -- Japanese shares slipped Friday while Chinese stocks rose to their fifth straight record high. But most stock markets in Asia, Europe and the United States were closed in observance of Good Friday or local holidays.

In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 6.64 points, or 0.04 percent, to finish at 17,484.78 points. On Thursday, the index shed 0.30 percent.

Trading was muted ahead of the release of U.S. jobs data for March due later Friday. The data is regarded as a key gauge of the state of the U.S. economy, Japan's largest export market.

Real estate, retail and auto shares lost ground on profit taking following recent gains. Among them, Mitsubishi Estate Co. fell 2.21 percent to 3,540 yen ($29.75), Aeon Co. which lost 3.68 percent to 2,225 yen ($18.70) and Honda Motor Co. fell 0.95 percent to 4,160 yen ($34.96).

In China, stocks rose Friday to their fifth straight record high as energy and water companies gained on strong earnings outlooks, offsetting declines in banks due to a reserve ratio hike.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.1 percent to 3,323.58,, after reversing an early loss triggered by the reserve hike news. The Shenzhen Composite Index rose 1.4 percent to 889.20, also a fifth record close in a row.

Banks fell after the central bank said Wednesday it was raising the reserve requirement ratio by half a percentage point, effective April 16, for the third time this year. Authorities have used such tactics to tighten credit, hoping to curb risks from speculative investments.

China Minsheng Banking fell 1.1 percent; China Merchants Bank lost 1.8 percent and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China slipped 1.8 percent.

Qiu Zhicheng, an analyst at Haitong Securities, said the actual impact of the reserve hike on banks would be limited because many already have large excess deposit reserves at the central bank.

South Korean shares rose to their second record close in three days as shipbuilders and Korean Air gained. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 2.11 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,484.15, its second record close since finishing at 1,483.86.

Malaysia's key stock index, the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index of 100 blue chips, rose 0.1 percent to 1,278.92 points.

In currency dealings, the U.S. dollar rose to 118.84 Japanese yen, up from 118.68 yen late Thursday in New York. The euro fell to $1.3414 from $1.3427.

Markets in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand were closed for the Good Friday or local holidays.