The Nikkei 225 lost 315 points, or 0.6%, to close at 50,376 on Monday, reversing the prior session’s gains as trading thinned ahead of year-end holidays. Sentiment turned cautious after China staged large-scale military drills around Taiwan under its “Justice Mission 2025” exercise. Investors also pared risk ahead of Tuesday’s release of minutes from the U.S. Fed’s latest meeting. Earlier this month, the Fed cut rates but signaled a more cautious easing path, projecting only one more cut next year. Major laggards included Advantest Corp. (-2.3%), Daikin Industries (-2.0%), Japan Tobacco (-1.6%), and NEC Corp. (-1.2%). Despite the day’s decline, Japanese stocks remain on track to end 2025 strongly, with the Nikkei up about 28%, marking a potential third straight annual gain. The rally has been boosted by ongoing economic recovery, resilient earnings, easing trade headwinds, and Japan’s relatively low real policy rate. Meanwhile, the broader Topix edged up 0.1%, up for a third session.
