Nikkei index closes lower

TOKYO: Tokyo’s key Nikkei 225 index ended lower on Friday, with a dearth of fresh market-moving events and some profit-taking weighing on the market.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.17 percent, or 55.38 points, to 33,431.51, while the broader Topix index ended up 0.32 percent, or 7.59 points, at 2,382.52.

Despite gains in the US Dow index overnight, “sell-orders overwhelmed buy-orders with lack of fresh clues for trade”, Iwai Cosmo Securities said in a note.

The dollar fetched 148.05 yen in Asia, off from 148.14 seen in New York, but up from 146.99 yen seen in Tokyo on Thursday.

Tech stocks faced selling pressure, after US high-tech shares slumped overnight, including chipmaker Nvidia, which lost 2.85 percent.

Among major shares in Tokyo, Sony Group lost 0.78 percent to 12,720 yen and Panasonic fell 1.41 percent to 1,508.5 yen.

Overnight selling of US semiconductor shares depressed their Japanese peers as well.

Chip-making equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron dropped 0.73 percent to 23,850 yen, and chip-testing equipment maker Advantest fell 1.26 percent to 4,622 yen.

Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing slipped 1.04 percent to 37,100 yen, but Toyota advanced 1.38 percent to 2,833 yen.