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| - Tokyo stocks closed lower on Friday as investors squared positions ahead of the weekend with worries lingering over US-China tensions. The Nikkei 225 index lost 0.80 percent, or 164.5 points, to 20,388.16. Over the week, the benchmark index rose 1.75 percent, largely on hopes for economic restarts. The broader Topix index ended down 0.90 percent, or 13.41 points, at 1,477.80. It gained 1.65 percent at over the week. "Investors moved to close positions as US futures contracts and Hong Kong shares dropped on the back of concerns that US-China tensions may intensify," Okasan Online Securities said in a client note. A three-day weekend in the United States also discouraged investors to buy, the firm said. The rising trade and diplomatic tension between China and the United States continued to dampen sentiment while investors were eyeing China's National People's Congress. Beijing kicked off its National People's Congress with the submission of a measure seeking "powerful" steps to curb Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, a move expected to fan fresh protests in the semi-autonomous financial hub. Hong Kong shares tumbled on Friday. Investors were underwhelmed as the Bank of Japan announced it would expand its loan programme by 30 trillion yen ($279 billion) for smaller companies hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. Among major shares, SoftBank Group rose 2.83 percent to 4,607 yen after it announced it would sell a stake in its mobile division to buy back its own shares. Nissan fell 2.5 percent to close the week at 373 yen. Just after the market close, Kyodo news agency reported the struggling automaker was looking to cut over 20,000 jobs or about 15 percent of its global workforce as part of a restructuring plan to be announced next week. It was not immediately clear if that figure included 12,500 jobs the automaker has already said it will cut. The firm said it had "no comment on speculation." Toyota dropped 1.14 percent to 6,289 yen and Sony slipped 0.32 percent to 6,773 yen. The dollar was trading at 107.43 yen against 107.60 yen in New York Thursday afternoon. mis/sah/je
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