Nikkei 225 Closes Down 0.2% at 65,142.78

The Nikkei's marginal decline alongside a stronger KOSPI points to divergent regional sentiment rather than a broad risk-off move. For equity watchers, the key signal is whether Japan's modest pullback reflects profit-taking after recent highs or the start of a more sustained correction, especially as the Topix's smaller drop suggests some resilience in broader market breadth. The KOSPI's outperformance could indicate capital rotation within the region, making the relative momentum between these two benchmarks the next metric to monitor.