Japanese equities slid to open lower on Wednesday amid a broader regional downturn fueled by worries that the AI-driven rally may have overheated.
The Nikkei 225 fell 173.3 points or 0.2% to open at 69,615.08.
The divergence followed a sharp selloff across Asia on Tuesday, which saw South Korea's Kospi trigger a circuit breaker amid the US tech rout.
Elsewhere, Brent crude continued its decline to settle at just above $76 as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased following an interim US-Iran peace agreement.