Tokyo, Aug 27: Japanese equities closed slightly lower on Thursday, with losses in paper and pulp, transport and communication stocks weighing on the benchmark, while gains in several technology and industrial counters helped limit the decline.
The Nikkei 225 ended the session down 0.14 per cent. The movement was relatively modest, reflecting a cautious trading session as investors assessed individual company performances and broader global market signals.
Among the notable gainers, Kioxia Holdings rose 5 per cent, while Furukawa Electric advanced 4.71 per cent. Shift also gained 4.10 per cent.
The session’s major decliners included Advantest, which fell 3.05 per cent, followed by Ebara, down 2.78 per cent, and Yamaha Motor, which declined 2.48 per cent.
Despite the fall in the benchmark, market breadth on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was relatively positive. A total of 1,789 stocks advanced, compared with 1,656 that declined, while 290 stocks finished unchanged.
The Nikkei Volatility Index remained steady at 30.41, indicating that expectations for market volatility were largely unchanged.
In commodities, oil prices moved lower. Crude oil futures for October delivery fell 1.70 per cent to $80.83 a barrel, while Brent crude for November delivery declined 1.62 per cent to $85.53 a barrel.
Gold prices, meanwhile, edged up 0.11 per cent to $4,658.26 an ounce.
Currency markets remained largely stable. The US dollar traded at around 159.33 yen, while the euro stood at 185.71 yen. The US Dollar Index was little changed at 99.08.
The modest decline in Japanese equities came despite gains in a number of individual stocks, suggesting that weakness remained concentrated in specific sectors rather than reflecting broad-based selling.
Investors are expected to continue watching global technology stocks, commodity prices, currency movements and international economic developments for fresh signals on the direction of Japanese markets.