The Nikkei 225 Index plunged 2.5% to around 37,300 on Friday, hitting its lowest levels in five months and mirroring losses on Wall Street overnight where Nvidia and other technology stocks were sold off. Investors also grappled with Trump's escalating tariffs and mounting economic concerns in the US. Trump confirmed that tariffs against Mexico and Canada will proceed next week, while China will be slapped with an additional 10% tariff. In Japan, the latest economic reports pointed to softening activity, including retail sales, industrial production and Tokyo inflation figures. Chip and AI-related stocks led the downturn, including significant losses from Disco (-10%), Advantest (-8.6%), Lasertec (-5.6%), SoftBank Group (-4.8%), and Tokyo Electron (-4.5%). The Nikkei 225 is on track to lose about 4% for the week and approximately 6% for the month.

Source: Trading Economi