Japanese equities declined for a second consecutive session on Tuesday, with the Nikkei 225 Index falling 1.56% to close at 49,383 and the broader Topix Index sliding 1.78% to around 3,371. The market tracked another AI-led selloff on Wall Street, while investors also positioned ahead of a key US jobs report that could shape expectations for Federal Reserve monetary policy. Domestically, sentiment remained cautious ahead of a widely anticipated Bank of Japan interest rate hike later this week, supported by recent strong economic data. Technology and AI related stocks led the declines, with sharp losses in SoftBank Group (-1.7%), Kioxia Holdings (-5.6%), Fujikura (-6.7%), Disco Corp (-2.9%) and Advantest (-1.4%). Selling pressure was also evident across heavyweight financial, consumer and industrial names, including Mitsubishi UFJ (-3.2%), Sony Group (-1.6%) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (-2.7%).