TOKYO, April 20 ― Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index closed down nearly two per cent today, weighed down by falls on Wall Street and concerns about rising virus cases in Japan.

The Nikkei 225 index fell 1.97 per cent, or 584.99 points, to 29,100.38, while the broader Topix index slipped 1.55 per cent, or 30.31 points, to 1,926.25.

The key index opened lower on profit-taking following a three-day winning streak, with investors disheartened by falls in US shares, brokers said.

“Selling then spread nearly across the board on concerns over another virus state of emergency,” said Daiwa Securities chief technical analyst Eiji Kinouchi.

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Osaka region is expected to officially request a state of emergency later today, with other regions including Tokyo weighing following suit.

The new measures could involve tougher restrictions including asking shops, restaurants and theme parks to close, local media has reported.

“Trading is expected to remain cautious for now,” Kinouchi told AFP.

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The dollar fetched ¥108.28 (RM4.09) in Asian afternoon trade, against ¥108.15 in New York and ¥108.50 in Tokyo late yesterday.

In Tokyo, Toyota lost 1.22 per cent to ¥8,418 after a report the Japanese carmaker sees “cloudier” chip supply later this year.

“April and May are fine. It gets a little cloudier when we move into June, July -- into the summer months,” Bob Carter, Toyota's top sales executive in the US, said in a Bloomberg TV interview from the Shanghai auto show.

SoftBank Group slumped 1.83 per cent to ¥9,821 after the UK government reportedly said it will look into the national security implications of US graphic chips maker Nvidia's purchase of British chip designer Arm Holdings.

The conglomerate acquired Arm in 2016 and said last year it was selling the company to Nvidia for up to US$40 billion. Arm produces microprocessors used in many smartphones.

Subaru dropped 2.83 per cent to ¥2,089.5 after a news report said the carmaker plans to temporarily suspend production in the US due to chip shortages. ― AFP