TOKYO: Tokyo stocks were down sharply in early trade Friday on worries over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with investor attention also on key US jobs data due later in the day.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 2.39 percent or 636.45 points at 25,940.82, while the broader Topix index was down 1.92 percent or 36.08 points at 1,845.72.
"The Japanese market is seen starting with falls following drops in US shares, while a wait-and-see attitude may grow ahead of the US jobs data," senior market analyst Toshiyuki Kanayama of Monex said in a note.
Investors remained concerned about the worsening toll of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and high oil prices, analysts said.
Late Thursday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan plans to help residents and businesses facing difficulty due to a surge in oil prices fuelled by the Ukraine crisis with $3 billion in relief funds.
He also said virus measures imposed in parts of Japan, which mainly request venues to curb evening opening hours, would be extended for two weeks from Sunday in several areas including Tokyo.
Among major shares in Tokyo, banks were among losers, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial trading down 0.97 percent at 702.4 yen and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial down 2.08 percent at 4,053 yen.
Electronics and high techs were lower after the US tech-rich Nasdaq index ended down 1.6 percent.
Panasonic was down 2.70 percent at 1,117.5 yen, Sony Group dropped 3.83 percent to 11,305 yen and chip-testing equipment manufacturer Advantest sank 3.12 percent to 8,690 yen.
The dollar fetched 115.28 yen in early Asian trade, against 115.45 yen in New York late Thursday.
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