TOKYO, March 8 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average is set to rise on Monday after U.S. jobs data came in better than expected and consumer credit figures showed improvement, with exporters benefiting from a weaker yen and resource shares from gains in commodities prices.
Fujitsu Ltd, Japan's largest IT services firm, may come in for attention after it said on Saturday it has dismissed advisor Kuniaki Nozoe amid a dispute over the circumstances that led to his abrupt resignation as president last year.
Non-farm payrolls shed 36,000 jobs in February compared with expectations in a Reuters poll for a loss of 50,000. Investors had been worried that severe winter weather would cause a larger drop in payrolls.
"Basically, the Nikkei is set to extend gains after the U.S. jobs data was better than expected, with the weaker yen boosting exporters," said Hiroichi Nishi, general manager at the equity division of Nikko Cordial Securities.
Financial shares may gain after their U.S. peers rose on news that consumer credit rose $4.96 billion in January, the first increase in a year and the largest for any month since mid-2008.
In a sign the market is likely to open higher, Nikkei futures traded in Chicago closed at 10,545, up 1.7 percent from Friday's Osaka close.
STOCKS TO WATCH
-- Panasonic Corp
Panasonic will tie up with the top U.S. electronics chain Best Buy Co to market and boost the sales of its 3D TVs in the United States, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday.
-- JFE Holdings Inc, Nippon Steel Corp
JFE Holdings, the world's sixth-biggest steelmaker, said on Friday it had agreed with BHP Billiton to pay $200 per tonne for coking coal for April-June.
Nippon Steel, the world's second-biggest steelmaker, declined to comment on whether it had struck a deal with BHP, the world's biggest diversified miner.
BHP said on Monday it had reached terms for a "significant portion" of its hard coking coal volumes for 2010 with customers in China, Japan, India and Europe.
-- Toyota Motor Corp
Toyota could freeze new European car launches this year if it is not satisfied the accelerator problem that forced a mass recall of its vehicles has been solved, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
Separately, an influential U.S. automobile dealer tracking firm said on Friday that Toyota vehicles are losing residual value due to safety recalls and a perceived decine in quality. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)