TOKYO, June 18 — Tokyo stocks closed lower on Thursday as fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections and a stronger yen weighed on the market.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.45 per cent, or 100.30 points, to 22,355.46, while the broader Topix index slipped 0.25 per cent, or 4.00 points, to 1,583.09.

"It hard to buy shares as concerns over a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak are growing globally,” said Toshikazu Horiuchi, a broker at IwaiCosmo Securities.

In New York, the Dow and S&P 500 both fell Wednesday as markets monitored increased coronavirus cases amid worries that US stocks are overvalued.

A stronger yen against the dollar also discouraged investors from buying shares, brokers said.

"The current level of the yen is still acceptable but a further gain would be a problem,” Horiuchi told AFP.

The dollar fetched ¥106.89 in Asian afternoon trade, against ¥106.97 (RM4.28) in New York and 107.28 yen in Tokyo late Wednesday.

In Tokyo, automakers were among losers, with Toyota down 0.82 per cent at ¥6,887 and Nissan down 1.72 per cent at ¥422.7.

Suzuki plunged 2.23 per cent to ¥3,667 after it announced plans to recall some 970,000 minicars due to defective parts.

Airlines were also lower, with Japan Airlines dropping 2.75 per cent to ¥2,084 and ANA Holdings dipping 0.88 per cent to ¥2,620.

Nintendo jumped 2.81 per cent at ¥50,110 after it and group firm Pokemon Co announced several new games and apps in the critter-collecting Pokemon series. — AFP