Japan's stock market closed lower on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 index losing 1.07% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The decline was driven by stocks in the pulp and paper, transportation, and telecommunications sectors.

Among the index components, Mitsui Mining and Smelting stocks performed best, gaining 5.44% to close at ¥31,290, a new all-time high. IHI Corp. shares rose 5.18% to ¥4,384, and Sumitomo Electric Industries shares increased 4.59% to ¥9,748.

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma shares suffered the biggest decline, falling 15.60% to ¥2,475.50. Seven & i Holdings fell 4.26% to 2,191 yen. Olympus shares fell 4.39%, closing at 1,480 yen, hitting a new low.

The overall market sentiment remained negative: the number of decliners (2,665) significantly outnumbered the gainers (949), with another 215 stocks ending the day unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility Index rose 4.23% to 29.07, reflecting growing investor caution.

In commodity markets, April WTI crude oil futures rose 0.47% to $66.71 per barrel, while Brent crude rose a similar 0.47% to $72.00. Gold for April delivery rose 0.84% ​​to $5,039.44 per troy ounce.

On the foreign exchange market, the USD/JPY pair strengthened by 0.08% to 155.17, while the EUR/JPY pair fell by 0.04% to 182.42. The dollar index gained 0.03% to reach 97.88.