Japan: Japan's stocks closed sharply lower on Wednesday, dragged down by heavyweight technology and semiconductor-related shares, with the benchmark Nikkei posting its weakest close in nearly a month.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Nikkei 225 fell 2.11% to 66,819.05, marking its lowest closing level since June 12. The broader Topix index also declined, shedding 1.37% to finish at 4,006.43. Market breadth was negative, with 61% of stocks listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Prime Market ending lower, while 36% advanced.

Among major decliners, Tokyo Electron, a leading semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker, dropped 3.05%, while chip testing equipment manufacturer Advantest slid 4.69%. Taiyo Yuden, a key producer of multilayer ceramic capacitors used in AI servers and other advanced electronics, tumbled 8%, making it one of the session's worst-performing stocks. The broad-based selloff in semiconductor-related shares weighed heavily on the market, pushing Japanese equities to their lowest closing levels in weeks.