TOKYO: Tokyo stocks closed slightly lower on Thursday, weighed down by falls in Chinese shares but with Fujitsu clawing back some of its recent losses over Britain’s Post Office scandal.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index inched down 0.03 percent, or 11.58 points, to 35,466.17, while the broader Topix index lost 0.17 percent, or 4.29 points, to 2,492.09.
The Japanese market started with gains supported by a relatively cheaper yen against the dollar but “falls in the Chinese market capped gains,” Iwai Cosmo Securities said.
Profit-taking sales of some shares also weighed on the market, analysts said.
The dollar fetched 147.87 yen in late Tokyo hours, sliding from 148.19 yen in New York but higher than Wednesday’s 147.27 yen in Tokyo.
Among major shares, Sony Group lost 1.21 percent to 14,240 yen. SoftBank Group fell 0.74 percent to 6,478 yen.
Fujitsu rebounded 1.70 percent to 19,790 yen, after falling 4.07 percent on Wednesday.
The IT services firm continues to face severe criticism over software glitches that resulted in false theft and fraud accusations against British postmasters. Many of them served prison terms. Some killed themselves, according to their family members. Japan Airlines slipped 0.22 percent to 2,777 yen after it rose in early trade, following the announcement on Wednesday that it was appointing its first woman president.