Nikkei 225 falls 2% intraday

A 2% intraday move on the Nikkei is notable less for its size than for what it signals about risk appetite in Japan, a market that has been a barometer for global sentiment around tech and export exposure. With no stated catalyst in the item, the driver remains unidentified, which itself matters: broad-based selling without an obvious trigger often reflects positioning shifts rather than fresh fundamentals. Whether the decline holds into the close or reverses is the open question, and any follow-through in related Asian benchmarks would indicate whether this is a local move or part of a wider de-risking.