The Nikkei stock index ended lower on Wednesday as sluggish earnings from major companies hurt investor sentiment, with heavyweight SoftBank Group sinking more than 6 percent.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 79.01 points, or 0.29 percent, from Tuesday at 27,606.46. The broader Topix index finished 0.57 point, or 0.03 percent, higher at 1,983.97.
Decliners were led by iron and steel, nonferrous steel and retail trade shares.
