The Nikkei index closed down 230 points, with some semiconductor stocks softening while trading companies performed well

Japanese stocks fell, influenced by the decline in U.S. semiconductor stocks, with related Japanese stocks following suit. Investors bought shares to collect dividends before the end of the month, which boosted buying interest and temporarily lifted the market. The Nikkei average index opened down 364 points, with the initial decline expanding to 1,086 points, hitting a low of 52,516 points. The decline then narrowed, and by the end of the session, it rose 111 points to 53,714 points, closing down 230 points or 0.4% at 53,373 points, with a weekly gain of less than 1 point.

In the artificial intelligence and semiconductor sectors, Advantest (6857.JP), Tokyo Electron (8035.JP), and Kioxia (285A.JP) fell by 3.1% to 4.2%, while Disc (6146.JP) dropped 1.4%. Raytech (6920.JP) and SoftBank (9984.JP) rose by 1.2% and 3.1%, respectively. In the wire sector, Furukawa Electric (5801.JP) and Sumitomo Electric (5802.JP) each fell by 4.1%, while Fujikura (5803.JP) dropped 1.7%.

South Korea has imposed anti-dumping duties on industrial robots from China and Japan, leading to declines in Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012.JP) by 0.7%, Fanuc (6594.JP) by 2.4%, and Yaskawa Electric (6506.JP) by 2.1%. In other stocks, Fast Retailing (9983.JP) fell 0.1%, Tokyo Electric Power (9501.JP) rose 1.9%, and Nintendo (7974.JP) and Sanrio (8136.JP) increased by 2.5% and 2%, respectively. In the metals sector, JX Metals (5016.JP) fell 1.4%, while trading companies Mitsui & Co. (8031.JP), Sumitomo Corporation (8053.JP), and Mitsubishi Corporation (8058.JP) rose by 1.8% to 2.3%.

Shiseido (4911.JP) was upgraded to "Buy" by Citigroup, with its stock price rising 6.2%.

The exchange rate of the U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen is 159.79