Yomiuri Shimbun file photoThe Tokyo Stock ExchangeTOKYO, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average edged lower on Thursday as a broadly stronger yen weighed on sentiment towards the exporter-heavy index, although a surge in heavily weighted Advantest limited the losses. Nvidia NVDA.O supplier Advantest 6857.T vaulted 7.6%, boosting the Nikkei by about 458 index points, after the chip-testing equipment maker raised its annual profit forecast by 21%. The yen JPY= pulled back a little overnight as traders paused for breath after three days of sharp gains, but yen buying resumed on Thursday. “Japan’s stock market is seeing a temporary withdrawal of funds, including profit-taking selling, as investors take a wait-and-see attitude,” said Wataru Akiyama, a strategist at Nomura Securities. Automakers as a group .ITEQP.T got a bit of respite, rising 1.4% to be the top performer among the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s 33 industry groups, but that followed a 6.7% plunge over the last three sessions.