Published on 03/03/2026 at 02:08 am EST
(MT Newswires) -- Japanese equities closed lower Tuesday after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she plans frank talks on Iran with U.S. President Donald Trump during a visit to Washington later this month, underscoring geopolitical risks.
The Nikkei 225 fell 3.06%, or 1,778.19 points, to close at 56,279.05.
Takaichi told parliament she also expects to discuss Middle East developments with other leaders ahead of the meeting. "We are not in a position to make a legal determination at this stage," she said when asked about the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran.
Ahead of talks in Washington with Trump, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is balancing Japan's alliance with the U.S. and its reliance on Middle Eastern oil. Tehran has warned it could close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for Japan, which sources about 90% of its crude from the region.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi urged Iran's ambassador to avoid actions that destabilize the region and called for calm around the strait.
In economic news, Japan's jobless rate rose to 2.7% in January from 2.6% a month earlier. Employment slipped to a seasonally adjusted 68.17 million from 68.46 million, while the number of unemployed increased to 1.91 million from 1.85 million.
Separate data showed corporate capital expenditure climbed 6.5% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2025, accelerating from 2.9% in the prior quarter. Non-manufacturers lifted spending 10.1%, while manufacturers were largely flat.
On the corporate front, SoftBank shares fell 1.5% after unit PayPay launched its U.S. IPO roadshow, offering 55 million ADS at $17-$20 each, including 31.1 million new shares and 23.9 million sold by an investment vehicle controlled by SoftBank Group Corp .
DeNA shares declined 1.5% after the company said it sold 1.7 million shares in Nintendo Co., Ltd. for about 14.5 billion yen via the ToSTNeT-3 system, booking an estimated 12.4 billion yen gain for the fiscal year ending March. It also cut its planned secondary offering of Nintendo stock to over 4.3 million shares from 6 million.
Ushio stock fell 1.5% after the company completed the acquisition of OSRAM ENI from ams-OSRAM AG for about 88.5 million euros, with total costs of roughly 17.3 billion yen, including fees. The Berlin-based unit will be renamed USHIO INE GmbH on March 16.

Sumber : MT Newswires