Japan stocks fall, Fanuc down on weak order stats

(Updates to midsession)

TOKYO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Japanese stocks fell on Friday, with industrial robot maker Fanuc Ltd (6954.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) sold heavily after weaker-than-expected core private-sector machinery orders.

Investors were holding back ahead of a three-day weekend, with the market gyrating between positive and negative territory.

The benchmark Nikkei average .N225 ended the morning session down 0.8 percent at 13,102.81. The broader TOPIX index lost 0.9 percent to 1,293.98. (Reporting by Taiga Uranaka)