TOKYO, June 22 — Tokyo stocks closed lower today, with fears over increasing global virus infections outweighing hopes for a resumption of business activity and investors eyeing economic indicators due this week.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index ended down 0.18 per cent, or 41.52 points, at 22,437.27, while the broader Topix index fell 0.23 per cent, or 3.71 points, to 1,579.09.

"Concerns over a second wave of the coronavirus infection abroad led sell orders in early trade, although some started bargain hunting later,” Okasan Online Securities said.

US stocks on Friday lost ground after Apple announced it would close some stores that had recently reopened as coronavirus cases rise.

While infections have fallen sharply in America’s Northeast and much of the Midwest, states including Florida, Nevada and Arizona have reported record case counts in recent days.

Brazil registered its 50,000th death from the coronavirus outbreak yesterday, underlining Latin America’s desperate struggle to contain the disease, as Europe’s gradual emergence from lockdown was marked by Spain reopening its borders.

The World Health Organisation has warned of a "new and dangerous phase” of the pandemic, with people tiring of lockdowns despite the virus’s accelerating spread.

And today, Australians were warned to avoid travelling to Melbourne, as the country’s second biggest city tightened coronavirus restrictions amid fears of a second wave of the epidemic.

Looking ahead, investors are closely monitoring a set of global data including US existing home sales for May due later in the day, and the German Ifo business climate index due on Wednesday, Ichiro Asai, Daiwa Securities strategist, said in a commentary.

The dollar fetched ¥106.89 (RM4.28) in Asian trade, against ¥106.84 in New York on Friday.

In Tokyo, game giant Nintendo closed down 0.73 per cent at ¥50,150, Uniqlo casual wear operator Fast Retailing slipped 0.38 per cent to ¥62,710, and Toyota was down 0.48 per cent at ¥6,818.

Some drugmakers were higher, with Chugai Pharmaceutical ending up 3.25 per cent at ¥17,320 and Shionogi up 2.16 per cent at ¥7,087. — AFP