Tokyo stocks close lower

Tokyo stocks closed lower on Friday over profit-taking following rallies in the previous session and weighed down by falls in other Asian bourses.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed down 1.79 percent or 520.64 points at 28,545.68, while the broader Topix index slipped 1.42 percent or 28.61 points to end at 1,984.47.

“Falls in Chinese and other Asian shares are worsening market sentiment, prompting profit-taking sell orders,” senior strategist Yoshihiro Ito of Okasan Online Securities said.

Concluding a two-day meeting, the Bank of Japan decided to partially extend its special loan programme to support companies hit by the pandemic but decided to scale back other measures, while keeping its key monetary policy unchanged.

The latest central bank decision did not prompt a strong market reaction.

The dollar fetched 113.51 yen in late Asian trade, against 113.67 yen in New York on Thursday.