Overview
- Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 744.45 yen in the morning session to 50,092.10 after a U.S. selloff, with losses concentrated early in the day.
- Selling hit semiconductor-linked names such as SoftBank Group and Advantest, while retailers and banks were comparatively firm.
- TOPIX eased to 3,417.19 at the morning close but set a new intraday high during the session, highlighting rotation within the market.
- The broader rally to the 50,000 level this year has been underpinned by TSE/JPX governance reforms that boosted profitability, dividends, and buybacks.
- Foreign allocations have risen, including roughly $1.2 billion flowing into BlackRock’s iShares MSCI Japan ETF since April 2023, as overseas investors increasingly recognize market changes and push for “stage two” cash deployment into growth.