UPDATE 2-Bridgestone: to shut Australia, New Zealand plants

* Plants account for 1 pct of company's global output

* Closures to affect 875 workers

* Company aiming to assess financial impact by Nov. 5 (Adds spokesman comments, closing share prices)

TOKYO, Oct 23 - Bridgestone Corp, Japan's biggest tyremaker, said on Friday it will close its tyre plants in Australia and New Zealand, joining global rivals that have already begun shutting plants amid weak demand.

Car sales have recently shown some signs of recovery due to purchase incentive schemes from governments, but tyremakers, including Bridgestone, remain cautious about post-incentive demand.

Bridgestone's plant in New Zealand and its facility in Australia, its only factories in Oceania, account for 1 percent of its projected tyre production in 2009, a company spokesman said.

Bridgestone is still assessing the financial impact of the plant closures, but any effects will be reflected in its updated earnings outlook for 2009, due out on Nov. 5, the spokesman added, declining to reveal whether these plants were profitable.

The closures of the over half a century old plants will affect a total of 875 jobs, the firm said.

French tyremaker Michelin, which has achieved higher profit margins than Bridgestone, said in April it will shut its U.S. tyre plant at the end of this month.

Bridgestone tumbled to an operating loss in the second quarter, hit by the economic slump and a stronger yen, but it raised its full-year outlook thanks to cost cuts.

The company plans to announce its third quarter results on Nov. 5.

After the plant closure announcement, shares of Bridgestone fell 2.3 percent to 1,566 yen, underperforming the broader market. The Nikkei stock average finished up 0.2 percent.