Japanese stocks fell on a global sell-off in technology stocks amid growing investor concerns over artificial intelligence investments after weaker-than-expected cash flow results from US BigTech companies.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 closed down 1,811.45 points, or 2.73%, at 64,611.15
Oil prices continued their upward trend as hostilities in the Middle East dashed hopes of early US-Iran talks, and attacks on Saudi oil tankers by the Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea raised risks of global energy supply disruptions.
On the corporate side, Nissan Motor (TYO:7201) signed a multi-year deal to supply its Formula E Gen4 powertrain to Andretti Formula E starting in season 13.
Also, Mitsubishi Materials (TYO:5711) filed for the listing of 70 billion yen bonds on the Singapore bourse, according to a filing with the Singapore Exchange on Friday.