The Nikkei 225 Index fell 1.5% to around 50,530 while the broader Topix Index lost 0.9% to 3,350 on Friday, reversing gains from the previous session and tracking a sharp tech-led selloff on Wall Street overnight. Those moves came as the lift from the US government reopening was overshadowed by concerns over stretched AI valuations and tempered expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. In Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged the Bank of Japan to keep interest rates low despite indications from central bank officials that they are considering hiking rates soon. SoftBank Group led the downturn, sinking nearly 8% to a six week low amid mounting losses in its technology and AI related investments. Other tech names also fell, including Advantest (4.4%), Fujikura (6.3%), Tokyo Electron (4.8%), Lasertec (3.6%) and Hitachi (4.9%). Still, the Nikkei and Topix indexes remain poised to finish the week with small gains.