<div id="readability-page-1" class="page"><div> <div>Asia-Pacific markets closed mostly lower Wednesday as tech stocks sold off.In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 1,237.36 points, or 1.9%, to close the mid-week session at 64,179.27. Japan’s Softbank Group plunged 10% amid a broader decline in tech names and after efforts to secure at least $6 billion through a margin loan backed by its OpenAI stake hit a snag, according to Bloomberg News. The Japanese tech investment giant is exploring alternative funding options, though it may revisit the loan at a later date.Japanese chip equipment makers Advantest and Renesas Electronics dropped 3.8% and 3.4%, respectively.In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng retreated 157.94 points, or 0.6%, to 24,407.96.In South Korea, memory chip major SK Hynix dropped over 8%, while Samsung Electronics fell 7.45%. Battery maker Samsung SDI declined more than 5%, while display panel producer LG Display slid nearly 9%.Among Taiwanese stocks, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract chipmaker, fell about 2%, while Apple supplier Hon Hai Precision Industry lost more than 4%.In other markets;In Shanghai, the CSI 300 index parted with 53.22 points, or 1.1%, to 4,748.59. In Taiwan, the Taiex weakened 1,478.9 points, or 3.3%, to 43,225.54In Korea, the Kospi index tumbled 366.11 points, or 4.5%, to 7,730.82.In Singapore, the Straits Times 50 index handed back 64.4 points, or 1.3%, to 4,958.85. In New Zealand, the NZX 50 gained 49.57 points, or 0.4%, to 13,253.65.In Australia, the ASX advanced 49.12 points, or 0.6%, to 8,653.29.</div> </div></div>

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Asia-Pacific markets closed mostly lower on Wednesday, weighed down by a broad tech stock sell-off. Japan's Nikkei dropped 1.9%, while South Korea's Kospi tumbled 4.5%. Major tech firms saw significant declines: Softbank plunged 10% due to funding issues, SK Hynix fell over 8%, and Samsung Electronics dropped 7.45%. Other indices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand also experienced mixed or negative performance.

Asia Weighed by Tech Weakness