TOKYO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks turned lower on Thursday, snapping a six-day winning streak as investors sold to lock in recent gains that have taken the benchmark Nikkei to all-time records.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended down 625.41 points, or 1.45 percent, from Wednesday at 42,649.26.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 33.96 points, or 1.10 percent, lower at 3,057.95.
The U.S. dollar briefly weakened to the lower 146 yen range in Tokyo after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview that Japan needs to raise interest rates to get ahead of the curve on inflation and the United States must lower rates significantly.
Investors grew concerned about the market overheating after the Nikkei index surged nearly 3,000 points over the past six trading days and closed above 43,000 for the first time ever on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the market was weighed down by export-related shares on the yen's appreciation, which also provided investors a good excuse to secure profits, analysts said. ■
