The Nikkei 225 Index Closes 0.07% Lower

The Nikkei 225 Index decreased -36 points or 0.07 percent on Friday to close at 53568 points. The decline was led by Daikin (-4.97%), Hino Motors (-4.89%) and Furukawa Electric (-4.28%). On the upside, the strongest performers were Sumitomo Dainippon (6.40%), Olympus (6.28%) and Shizuoka Bank (5.90%).

The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.43% to close at 53,373 on Friday, extending losses from the previous session and following a sharp selloff on Wall Street amid skepticism over Iran war negotiations. Reports also emerged that the US is considering sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump delayed his deadline for Iran to reach a deal or face further attacks by 10 days, saying talks with Tehran were going “very well.” Trump also said Iran had allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz this week as a gesture of goodwill. Still, investors remained cautious amid conflicting reports on the Middle East, while elevated oil prices stoked inflation concerns and reinforced expectations for rate hikes this year. Tech and AI-linked stocks led the decline, with steep losses for Kioxia Holdings (-4.2%), Fujikura (-1.7%), Advantest (-3.9%), Disco Corp (-1.4%), and Tokyo Electron (-3.1%).

The Nikkei 225 Index fell -440 points or 0.82 percent on Thursday to close at 53310 points. Leading the losses are Toto (-5.96%), Ebara (-4.39%) and Tokio Marine (-3.88%). Top gainers were Kikkoman Corporation (5.54%), Inpex (5.27%) and Mitsui OSK Lines (4.38%).