TOKYO, Japan (AFP)–Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed lower on Wednesday as high tech shares dropped sharply tracking falls on Wall Street.
The Nikkei ended down 0.31 percent or 68.50 points at 21,717.04 yen while the broader Topix index edged up 0.03 percent or 0.45 points to close at 1,693.25.
Analysts said tech shares suffered partly due to news that a Chinese court temporarily banned US firm Micron Technology from selling its products.
Investors were cautious about the trend in Chinese stocks but “with the prospects that the yuan’s depreciation is bottoming out thanks to an announcement by the People’s Bank of China… buying back supported the Japanese market later,” Okasan Online Securities strategist Yoshihiro Ito said in a commentary.
The dollar fetched 110.37 yen in Asian trade, against 110.59 yen in New York late Tuesday.
In Tokyo, semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron dropped 4.44 percent to 17,740 and semiconductor testing devices maker Advantest dived 4.28 percent to 2,189 yen.
Game giant Nintendo dropped 5.27 percent to 34,510 yen and Uniqlo casual wear operator Fast Retailing fell 2.14 percent to 48,730 yen.
In contrast, oil developer Inpex added 2.10 percent to 1,163 yen and oil refiner JXTG fell 2.60 percent to 796 yen.
© Agence France-Presse
