Japan's Nikkei 225 share average fell 2% on Thursday, driven by a sharp retreat in heavyweight technology stocks that mirrored losses among their Wall Street peers.
The decline in tech-heavy names overwhelmed gains in the broader market, where lower crude oil prices provided some support amid hopes for a de-escalation in the Middle East.
72% to 67,763 in choppy Wednesday trading, as technology stocks again mirrored a broader selloff in US tech-heavy indices.
The selloff continues a recent pattern of volatility for the index.
The benchmark had already dropped 2.69% to 64,634 on Friday, weighed down by a broad-based retreat in technology shares triggered by a fall in Google parent Alphabet's stock.
Prior to that, the index fell 0.72% to 67,763 in choppy Wednesday trading, as technology stocks again mirrored a broader selloff in US tech-heavy indices.
The persistent pressure on Japanese tech stocks highlights the index's sensitivity to US market sentiment.