TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average dropped more than 1 percent on Tuesday, weighed down by declines in chip and other artificial intelligence-linked stocks ahead of crucial US employment data later in the day.
The Nikkei sank 1.6 percent to end the day at 49,373.25, closing below the key psychological 50,000 mark for the first time since December 3.
The broader Topix Index lost 1.8 percent to 3,370.50.
Shares of Yaskawa Electric, a robotics company developing “physical AI”, slumped 7 percent, while data-center cable maker Fujikura slipped 6.7 percent, making them the biggest percentage decliners in the Nikkei.
Chipmaker Renesas lost 5.1 percent, and silicon processor Shin-Etsu Chemical sank 4.1 percent.
Some of Japan’s largest tech stocks saw smaller declines after sharp losses on Monday.
AI-focused investor SoftBank Group fell 1.7 percent, rebounding from an earlier drop of up to 4.5 percent, following a 6 percent tumble in the previous session.
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