Tokyo stocks plummet

Tokyo stocks ended lower on Friday after a mixed close on Wall Street, where the tech-rich Nasdaq index dived while the Dow ended up.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 0.09 percent, or 36.55 points, to end at 38,596.47, while the broader Topix index trimmed 0.03 percent, or 0.85 points, to 2,724.69.

The dollar fetched 158.99 yen, against 158.91 yen in New York late Thursday.

Overnight on Wall Street, rallies in Nvidia and other AI-linked equities took a pause, leaving the Nasdaq lower following seven straight records.

Both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 retreated, while the Dow pushed higher following an up session on European bourses.

The Nikkei had started trading higher, but as the day progressed, it lost steam especially after "SoftBank Group, which contributes a lot to the market, plunged," IwaiCosmo Securities said.

SoftBank Group held its annual general meeting for shareholders Friday, where CEO Masayoshi Son enthused about "artificial super intelligence", which he said could help cure cancer, reduce accidents and better respond to pandemics.

SoftBank Group plummeted 3.14 percent to 9,889 yen, and Toyota dropped 0.32 percent to 3,074 yen.

Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing rose 1.35 percent to 40,350 yen and Sony Group edged up 0.11 percent to 12,810 yen.