Japanese Shares End Lower on Friday as Global Technology Stocks Slip
Japanese shares extended their losses in Friday trade, weighed down by the retreat in artificial-intelligence companies' shares globally.The Nikkei 225 closed 882.57 points or 1.3% lower at 66,588.12.Investment sentiment in Asia was tepid as semiconductor stocks slumped on Wall Street after Broadcom's AI chip sales guidance fell short of market expectations.Investors were cautiously optimistic after U.S. President Donald Trump said that ceasefire negotiations are in their "final" stages, though Iran's foreign minister had earlier described the talks as stalled, according to media reports.On the domestic front, household spending in Japan rose in April as incomes continued to grow, according to government data released Friday. The average monthly consumption expenditures for households with two or more persons stood at 328,969 yen, marking a 1.0% increase in nominal terms and a 0.5% drop in real terms compared with the same month a year earlier.Japan's average nominal wages, or total cash earnings, also rose 3.5% year on year to 312,425 yen in April, the fastest growth since December 2024.On the corporate side, T&D Holdings (TYO:8795) plans to acquire up to 12 million common shares, representing 2.50% of outstanding stock, for a maximum total of 30 billion yen.Meanwhile, Air Water (TYO:4088) declared a year-end dividend of 37.50 yen per share for the fiscal year 2025, matching earlier forecasts and lower than the 43 yen per share paid a year ago.