TOKYO: Japan's benchmark Nikkei fell on Tuesday as investors booked profits after a sharp gain in the previous session, while semiconductor stocks and other high-tech firms took a hit from a weak Nasdaq performance overnight.
The benchmark Nikkei share average fell 0.84% to 22,593.27 during the midday break, after hitting a one-month high in the previous session. There were 96 advancers against 125 decliners on the index.
In the broader market, Topix lost 0.48% to 1,565.49 by the recess, with all but eight of the 33 industry subindexes in the Tokyo Stock Exchange trading in the red.
Fish and forest, mining and services were the three worst-performing sector subindexes on the main bourse.
Semiconductor shares were bruised by a 2.13% drop on the Nasdaq Composite index, which was pulled down by Amazon, Microsoft and other big-name leaders of Wall Street's recent rally as fresh coronavirus restrictions in California and mounting U.S.-China tensions triggered a selloff.
Advantest Corp slipped 2.72%, while Screen Holdings Co Ltd and Tokyo Electron Ltd fell 2.22% and 1.71%, respectively.
Other high-tech shares also underperformed, with Fujitsu Ltd falling 1.02% and Fanuc Ltd inching down 0.29%.
Sony Corp dropped 1.89%, after reaching its highest level since 2001 in the previous session.
Elsewhere, Nikkei heavyweight SoftBank Group Corp fell 2.11% after a Wall Street report said the tech conglomerate is exploring options including a full or partial sale or public offering of British chip designer Arm Holdings. - Reuters
