Japan stocks slide on growing economic worries

(Updates to midmorning)

TOKYO, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan's benchmark Nikkei slid 1.4 percent on Thursday as worries about the U.S. and Japanese economies grew ahead of earnings results, with a firmer yen pressuring Sony Corp (6758.T) and other exporters.

Nippon Steel Corp (5401.T) softened on higher prices for raw materials, while All Nippon Airlines (ANA) (9202.T) was lower after Boeing Co (BA.N) said there would be a third major delay in the delivery of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane. [ID:nN09455655] U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday after United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N), seen as a bellwether of U.S. economic activity, slashed its earnings forecast, raising fears about the economy there.

Market players said that concern about the impact of poor earnings on the economy was now outweighing concerns about credit, although those still linger.

"UPS slashing its forecast has really sparked fears about the U.S. economy, and this is carrying over to Japan as our earnings season moves into higher gear," said Kazuki Miyazawa, an analyst at Daiwa Securities SMBC.

"There's a lot of concern about what these are going to say about our economy."

Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd (3382.T) is due to announce full-year results later on Thursday. Aeon Co Ltd (8267.T) on Monday posted its first profit fall in a decade.

At 0103 GMT, the benchmark Nikkei .N225 had shed 185.76 points to fall below 13,000. The broader TOPIX was down 1.3 percent at 1,246.03.

ANA, which is scheduled to be the first airline to receive the new 787, said on Thursday it was considering seeking compensation from Boeing for the fresh delay. [ID:nTKF003069] Japan Airlines Corp (JAL) (9205.T) said the same. ANA fell 1.2 percent to 417 yen and JAL was down 1.9 percent to 256 yen. Nippon Steel Corp said it would pay BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) $300 a tonne for coking coal in the business year that started on April 1, triple what it paid the world's top coking coal producer last year.

Costs for the entire Japanese steel industry could now balloon by more than 3 trillion yen ($29 billion) this business year, topping an earlier estimate of 2 trillion yen, said a spokesman for Nippon Steel, Japan's top steel maker.

Nippon Steel was down 1.2 percent to 495 yen. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Hugh Lawson)