TOKYO: Japanese share indexes ended in the red on Wednesday as an escalation in the Middle East crisis weighed against a rekindling of enthusiasm about AI-related companies.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up for most of the day, rising as much as 0.8 percent, before losing steam and ending 0.19 percent lower at 65,142.78. The broader Topix slipped 0.09 percent to 4,046.64.
Iran said it fired ballistic missiles at a base in Jordan used by the US military and attacked 10 ships on Wednesday, after the US said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers.
The largest losers were Kyowa Kirin, down 5.88 percent, followed by DeNA, 4.65 percent lower, and Sumitomo Pharma, which lost 4.33 percent.
The largest percentage gainers in the index were Furukawa Electric, up 12.63 percent, followed by Tokai Carbon, which rose 9.27 percent to mark its highest close since October 2018, and Fujikura, which gained 8.07 percent.