TOKYO, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower Friday as a poor showing by the tech-heavy Nasdaq overnight saw domestic technology shares retreat.
Market sentiment was also dented by concerns for the future course of the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after the resignation earlier in the day of the defense chief in relation to a coverup scandal.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 119.80 points, or 0.60 percent, from Thursday to close the day at 19,959.84.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, dropped 5.62 points, or 0.35 percent, to finish at 1,621.22.
Securities, air transportation and electric appliance-linked issues comprised those that declined the most by the close of play, and falling issues outpaced those that rose by 1,087 to 807 on the First Section.
Local brokers said that tech shares weighed heavily on the market with some market players opting to adjust their positions ahead of the release of U.S. second-quarter gross domestic product data due out later in the day and other economic data from the United States next week.
Traders here also said that recent political turmoil including the resignation of Inada as defense minister, also weighed on the market, with investors concerned about the future of Abe's administration.
They also said that losses were limited by some robust earnings reports from domestic corporations.
On the main section on Friday, 2,028.09 million shares changed hands, up from Thursday's volume of 1,837.16 million shares.
The turnover on the final day of the week totaled 2,773.5 billion yen (25.00 billion U.S. dollars).
