TOKYO: Tokyo stocks slipped 0.10 percent Thursday morning, easing from 18-year highs on worries over Greece’s stalled debt reform talks.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange shed 21.90 points to 20,846.13 by the break. The Topix index of all first-section issues was down 0.23 percent, or 3.87 points, to 1,676.02.
After four days of gains traders turned sellers following losses in US and European markets on signs of fresh problems in talks between Greece and its international creditors.
“We’re in a market where we’re swinging from joy to sorrow over Greece,” Mitsushige Akino, executive officer at Ichiyoshi Asset Management, told Bloomberg News.
He added some adjustments in the Nikkei were to be expected after it pushing up against to the major chart line of 21,000.
While expectations were running high, Greek talks in Brussels have so far failed to break an impasse in the months-long standoff.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will continue marathon talks with creditors Thursday to find a debt deal to save Athens from default, despite having lashed out at lenders for rejecting his reform plans.
Without extra bailout money by June 30, Greece will default on about 1.5 billion euros of debt owed to the International Monetary Fund.
However, the euro held up, fetching $1.1212 and 138.76 yen in Tokyo against $1.1184 and 138.73 yen in Asian trade on Wednesday.
The dollar fell to 123.60 yen from 124.03 yen in Asia on Wednesday.
