Japan's Nikkei falls as tech shares drag; Astellas surges

Japan's Nikkei index saw red on Thursday as technology stocks faltered, raising flags over the hefty investments tied to Artificial Intelligence. The decline was accentuated by a steep fall in shares of SoftBank Group, following Arm Holdings' disappointing revenue report. In contrast, the pharmaceuticals sector maintained its resilience, spurred by an optimistic forecast from Astellas Pharma which uplifted its stock.