LONDON (Dow Jones) - Asian markets closed mostly lower on Thursday on Wall Street losses and rising oil prices as another major hurricane threatened the heart of the U.S. oil industry.

The Nikkei finished down, pressured by consumer-electronics group Sony Corp. ( SNE), which shed 2.2%.

Sony said after the Japanese share-market close that it will cut 10,000 jobs and post a loss for the year on restructuring costs.

The Nikkei lost 0.3% to 13,159.36, in a reversal of sustained strong gains since the government was returned to power in elections on Sept. 11 .

Earlier in the day, the government reported that Japan's trade surplus shrank 80% in August from the same month in 2004, much more than economists had expected, as high oil prices raised import costs, but firm exports suggested an economic recovery remains on track.

The surplus narrowed to 116.3 billion yen ( $1.05 billion ) from 572.9 billion. That compares with economists' forecasts for a surplus of 378 billion yen . It was the fifth straight month of year-on-year decline.

Notable decliners on the Nikkei included Advantest Corp. , Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (HMC) and technology firm Fanuc Ltd. .

In Seoul, the Kospi closed up 0.3% at 1,199.97, after hitting a record high Wednesday. In Sydney, the All Ordinaries index added 0.2% at 4,511.60. Markets in Shanghai , Hong Kong , Jakarta , Singapore and Taipei all finished lower.

Crude-oil oil futures were recently at $67.82 in electronic trade, after closing up 1% Wednesday as a strengthening Hurricane Rita churned through the Gulf of Mexico toward the Texas coast, posing a threat to a region that's home to about a fourth of U.S. refining capacity.

In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite Index closed at their worst levels in nearly three months on Rita worries.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

09-22-05 0617ET Copyright (c) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Copyright (C) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.