The Nikkei of the 225 star stocks lost 0.39% to 23,386.74 points. The Broad Topix Index declined 0.03% to 1,674.00 points.
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The Tokyo Stock Exchange ended in decline on Friday, concerns over the coronavirus pulling it down when the yen / dollar price gave a little boost to export values.
At the end of the trade, the Nikkei index of 225 star stocks lost 0.39% to 23,386.74 points. The Broad Topix Index declined 0.03% to 1,674.00 points.
The number of coronavirus cases has further increased in Japan, where more than 700 people have been infected (including those infected on the Diamond Princess boat).
Concerns are also mounting in South Korea, where more than 50 new cases have been detected among worshipers.
In China, where the epidemic appeared and developed, the death toll now exceeds 2,200 dead and a total of at least 75,000 people have been infected there, according to the most recent official assessment, but the rate of progression is is slowed down.
On the side of values
However, more than half of the industries represented in the Nikkei 225 index were in green.
TOYOTA POWERED
Still helped by the weakening yen, the title of the largest automaker rose 1.10% to 7,837 yen.
SEVEN & I, TOWARDS AN ACQUISITION
The retail giant Seven & I Holdings gained 0.43% to 3,937 yen, while, according to media reports, the group is negotiating the acquisition of US service stations Speedway from Marathon Petroleum. Seven & I, which oversees stores of all sizes in Japan and the United States in particular, already has fuel sales outlets in the United States, in addition to its famous 7-Eleven convenience stores.
SOFTBANK GROUP FLIES
Tech giant SoftBank Group stock rose 2.40% to 5,664 yen. Boss Masayoshi Son is in talks to borrow 500 billion yen ($ 4.5 billion) from 16 Japanese and foreign financial institutions, a statement said to provide cash for the group, said a statement.
RECOVERY IN ELECTRONICS
Part of the titles of manufacturers of materials and equipment for the semiconductor industry have recovered: the specialist in silicon wafers Sumco took 5.24% to 1,967 yen.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND OIL
The yen fell sharply against the dollar. The greenback was worth Friday at 6:00 GMT 112.00 yen, against 111.40 yen Thursday after the close of Tokyo, the benchmark for Japanese investors.
The Japanese currency also fell against the euro, which traded for 120.84 yen, against 120.30 yen the day before after the Japanese financial centers closed.
The European currency was stagnating against the dollar. A euro was traded Friday at 6:00 GMT for 1.0790 dollars against 1.0789 Thursday at 20:00 GMT.
Oil on the other hand tended to decline: the price of a barrel of American crude WTI fell by 0.85% to 53.42 dollars and the price of a barrel of Brent of the North Sea fell by 0.98% to 58.73 dollars.
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