TOKYO, March 2 ― Tokyo stocks closed lower today on worries over the Russian attack on Ukraine, after three days of rallies.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 1.68 per cent, or 451.69 points, to 26,393.03 while the broader Topix index lost 1.96 per cent, or 37.23 points, to end at 1,859.94.
“Worries over (Russia's) invasion into Ukraine, as well as a backlash after three days of rallies in the previous sessions, led to selling across a wide range of sectors,” Okasan Online Securities said in a note.
The dollar fetched ¥115.02 (RM4.19) in Asian trade, against ¥114.90 in New York late yesterday.
In Tokyo, Toyota dropped 4.43 per cent to 2,038.5 yen after it said it was resuming operation of its domestic plants, which had been forced to halt for a day after a cyberattack against one of its parts suppliers.
Other automakers were also lower, with Honda closing down 4.50 per cent at ¥3,356 and Nissan down 3.82 per cent at ¥524.3.
Toshiba fell 3.95 per cent to ¥4,500 after its CEO resigned, adding fresh uncertainty weeks before a key shareholder meeting on a plan to spin off the Japanese conglomerate's devices unit.
Sony Group was off 1.57 per cent at ¥11,590 and Panasonic slipped 3.95 per cent to ¥1,142.
Japan Airlines dropped 4.06 per cent to ¥2,172 after it said it has suspended code shares with British Airways and Finnair on European flights because of Moscow's closure of its airspace to the two airlines. ― AFP