The Nikkei 225 fell 1.01% to close at 48,089, while the broader Topix dropped 1.85% to 3,198 on Friday, as unceranity about political situation and recent comments from Finance Minister dented the sentiment. Japan’s Komeito party announced it would leave the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), amid growing doubts over Sanae Takaichi’s policies, complicating her path to becoming prime minister. Menahile, Finance Minister Kato expressed concern over ‘one-sided, rapid movements in the foreign exchange market’ that have caused the yen to fall 3.5% against the dollar since Takaichi’s election last weekend. Major decliners included SoftBank Group (-3.1%), Advantest (-0.9%), Sony Group (-4%), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (-3.7%), and Toyota Motor (-1.7%). Meanwhile, Fast Retailing surged 6.7% after reporting a record profits for the year ended August, while projecting strong profits in fiscal 2026 on the back of growth in North America and Europe.