TOKYO: Japanese shares closed lower on Thursday, with consumer discretionary and telecommunications stocks leading the declines, as investors were worried about US-China relations and awaited a speech by US Federal Reserve chairman.

The Nikkei 225 Index ended down 0.35% at 23,208.86, while the broader Topix index fell 0.53% to 1,615.89.

The top underperformers on the Topix 30 were East Japan Railway Co down 2.56%, followed by insurer Tokio Marine Holdings Inc which shed 2.24%.

The stocks that gained the most among the top 30 core Topix names were job placement company Recruit Holdings Co Ltd up 5.62%, followed by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd that rose 0.23%.

There were 45 advancers on the Nikkei index against 178 decliners.

The volume of shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s main board was 0.79 billion, compared with an average 1.16 billion in the past 30 days.—Reuters