TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average retreated on Friday from a record high set in the last session, as SoftBank Group declined and renewed US-Iran hostilities weighed on investor sentiment.
The Nikkei edged down 0.19 percent to 62,713.65. It jumped 5.6 percent on Thursday to close at a record high after crossing the psychological level of 63,000 for the first time.
The index rose 5.4 percent in the holiday-shortened week.
The broader Topix slipped 0.29 percent on Friday to 3,829.48. It rose 2.7 percent for the week.
“Compared with the previous session’s sharp gains, the decline in today’s market is marginal,” said Hitoshi Asaoka, chief strategist at Asset Management One.
Also weighing on the market was a rise in crude oil prices after the United States and Iran exchanged fire and put a month-long Middle East ceasefire in doubt.
Technology investor SoftBank Group fell 4.56 percent to drag the Nikkei lower the most after the US-listed shares of Arm Holdings tumbled overnight on smartphone market weakness and AI chip supply concerns.
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