--- title: "The Nikkei index closed down 1,857 points or 3.5%, with heavy industry, metal, and shipping stocks under pressure; JX Metals fell 11%" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/280117141.md" description: "The Nikkei index fell sharply by 1,857 points, a decline of 3.5%, closing at 51,515 points. The market experienced a risk-off sell-off due to inflation concerns triggered by the tense situation in the Middle East and rising oil prices. Several heavy industry, metal, and shipping stocks were under pressure, with JX Metals dropping by 11.1%. Additionally, artificial intelligence and semiconductor stocks also generally declined, with SoftBank falling by 1.4%" datetime: "2026-03-23T07:20:59.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/280117141.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/280117141.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/280117141.md) --- # The Nikkei index closed down 1,857 points or 3.5%, with heavy industry, metal, and shipping stocks under pressure; JX Metals fell 11% Japanese stocks fell significantly as the market worried about the situation in the Middle East, leading to a flight to safety and selling pressure. Concerns about inflation triggered by rising oil prices caused bond yields in Europe, the U.S., and Japan to rise, intensifying market selling pressure. The Nikkei average index opened down 903 points and the decline widened, dropping as much as 2,683 points or 5% to a low of 50,688 points, the lowest intraday level since December 30 of last year. The decline then narrowed, closing down 1,857 points or 3.5% at 51,515 points. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's Growth Market 250 index futures triggered a circuit breaker. In the artificial intelligence and semiconductor sectors, SoftBank (9984.JP) fell 1.4%, Tokyo Electron (8035.JP) and Kioxia (285A.JP) dropped 2.6% and 4%, Advantest (6857.JP) and Discus (6146.JP) fell 5.2% and 6.2%, and Lasertec (6920.JP) decreased by 8.7%. In the wire sector, Furukawa Electric (5801.JP) and Fujikura (5803.JP) fell 5.9% and 3.5%, while Sumitomo Electric (5802.JP) dropped 7.4%. In the heavy industry sector, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.JP), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012.JP), and IHI (7013.JP) fell between 6.8% and 7.9%. In the metals sector, JX Metals (5016.JP) dropped 11.1%, while Sumitomo Metal Mining (5713.JP) and Mitsui Mining & Smelting (5706.JP) fell 8.4% and 6.2%, respectively. In the rare earth sector, Mitsui Ocean Development (6269.JP) fell 6.6%. In the trading company sector, Marubeni (8002.JP) and Mitsui & Co. (8031.JP) fell 5.6% and 6%, while Sumitomo Corporation (8053.JP) dropped 4%. In the shipping sector, Nippon Yusen (9101.JP), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (9104.JP), and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (9107.JP) fell between 6.9% and 8.5%. In other stocks, Fast Retailing (9983.JP) fell 2.5%, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.JP) and Mizuho Financial Group (8411.JP) dropped 4.5% and 3.6%, while Nissan (7201.JP) and Tokyo Electric Power Company (9501.JP) fell 5% and 5.5%. The exchange rate for the U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen is 159.55 ### Related Stocks - [159980.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/159980.CN.md) - [159876.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/159876.CN.md) - [159881.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/159881.CN.md) - [512400.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/512400.CN.md) - [513880.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/513880.CN.md) - [516650.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/516650.CN.md) - [561330.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/561330.CN.md) - [000819.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/000819.CN.md) - [159871.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/159871.CN.md) - [03153.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/03153.HK.md) - [159880.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/159880.CN.md) - [560860.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/560860.CN.md) - [159608.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/159608.CN.md) - [YCS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/YCS.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [BREAKINGVIEWS-China's outbound M&A spree has staying power](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286850954.md) - [13:35 ETThe global underground mining market, which is slated to reach $28.5 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 2.1% | Allied Market Research](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286449758.md) - [METALS-Nickel extends gains after Indonesia says it plans to centralise commodity exports](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287027198.md) - [Canada Nickel partners with GeoRedox on geologic hydrogen pilot at Crawford project](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287049949.md) - [RBC Capital Reaffirms Their Hold Rating on Lundin Mining (LUNMF)](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286182607.md)