Japanese stocks drop amid investor concerns and statements from Ueda.

Japanese stock indices fell on the Tokyo Stock Exchange during trading on Monday, closing the session with losses amid statements from Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda on one hand, and concerns about the potential impact of higher tariffs proposed by President-elect Donald Trump on the other.

In terms of trading, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell by 1.09% to close at 38,220.85 points, while the broader Topix index declined by 0.73% to close at 2,691.76 points.

In the prime market, shares of pharmaceuticals, banks, and machinery led the declines among Japanese stocks today, with pharmaceutical companies being the biggest losers, following declines seen in their American counterparts after Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a long-time skeptic of the COVID-19 vaccine – as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Among the losers were Japanese automotive companies, which were affected by fears that Trump's new tariff policies could have a broadly negative economic impact on Japan's exports that may extend to other countries besides the United States.

The negative performance of Japanese stock indices today occurred amid ambiguous statements from Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda regarding a potential interest rate hike in December.