Nikkei up 0.2 pct, banks sold on Merrill loss

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By Taiga Uranaka

TOKYO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average crept up 0.2 percent on Thursday, after Wall Street ended the session only slightly lower despite a big loss reported by Merrill Lynch.

Still, the upside was heavy as a stronger yen against the dollar put pressure on exporters such as Canon Inc .

Bank shares were also sold after Merrill , the world's largest brokerage, reported a $2.3 billion loss and ...