Tokyo: The Japanese Nikkei index ended lower on Thursday, influenced by a decline in SoftBank Group shares. The Nikkei index dropped 0.9 percent to close at 50,148.82 points after having risen 0.5 percent earlier in the session, while the broader Topix index fell 0.94 percent to 3,357.24 points, after it recorded a record high at the open of 3,410.97 points.

According to Qatar News Agency, this performance comes at a time when technology sector stocks also saw notable declines, with Tokyo Electron, the chip-manufacturing equipment maker, falling 1.57 percent, Shin-Etsu Chemical, the silicon wafer maker, down 3.94 percent, and Fanuc, the robotics maker, down 2.19 percent.