TOKYO, March 19 — Tokyo’s key Nikkei index ended down 1.04 per cent Thursday, as market heavyweight SoftBank Group nosedived more than 17 per cent and investors shrugged off massive central bank coronavirus-related interventions.

After opening higher, the Nikkei 225 index ended down 173.72 points at 16,552.83 points, but the broader Topix index closed up 0.97 per cent or 12.38 points at 1,283.22. — AFP