Japan Market ends softer after long weekend

Japan share market finished session marginally lower on Wednesday, 23 September 2020, the first trading day of the week following holidays on Monday and Tuesday, as investors tried to catch up with global markets that lost heavily earlier this week amid worries about fresh spikes in coronavirus infections in Europe and the United States.

At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average edged down 13.81 points, or 0.06%, to 23,346.49. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 2.17 points, or 0.13%, to 1,644.25. The Tokyo market was closed on Monday and Tuesday for national holidays.

Total 23 issues of the 33 industry category of Topix index ended into red territory, with Mining, Iron & Steel, Nonferrous Metals, Insurance, Pulp & Paper, Construction, and Real Estate issues being notable losers, while Land Transportation, Retail Trade, Marine Transportation, and Wholesale Trade issues were notable gainers.

Developments surrounding the coronavirus pandemic weighed on investor sentiment, with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday reversing the lifting of some lockdown measures in England. That came following a surge in coronavirus cases in the country. Cases in the U.S. have also started to trend upward following weeks of declines, though some health experts say it's too early to tell whether the upward trend will continue. The virus has taken more than 200,000 lives in the country.

CURRENCY: The Japanese yen traded at 105 per dollar following a weakening from levels around 104.4 against the greenback yesterday.

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