The Nikkei 225 Index fell 1.24% to close at 38,677, while the broader Topix Index dropped 1.18% to 2,735 on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session as concerns over US President Donald Trump's escalating tariff threats weighed on market sentiment.
Trump recently announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on imports of autos, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals—sectors that are crucial to Japan's economy. In addition, minutes from the latest US Federal Reserve meeting revealed that policymakers would prefer to see further progress on inflation before making additional interest rate cuts.
In Japan, investors are awaiting Friday's inflation data to gauge the country's economic outlook and potential implications for monetary policy. Technology stocks led the decline, with sharp losses from Disco (-1.4%), Tokyo Electron (-3.1%), Lasertec (-2.3%), Hitachi (-1.4%), and SoftBank Group (-2.1%).
Source: Trading Economics
