The stock markets in Asia begin the end of the trading week with broad and in some places steep declines.
The leading Nikkei 225 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 2.6 percent in the opening, while the broader Topix index lost 2.4 percent.
The declines followed declines in the United States the previous day, which were marked, among other things, by several central banks’ announcements of interest rate hikes.
The stock exchanges in Seoul and Taiwan are also declining in morning trading. The stock markets in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen also started with declines on Friday, but traders then regained their courage and quickly crossed the zero line.