(Update) Tokyo Stocks Fall amid Middle East Tensions

   Tokyo, June 13 (Jiji Press)--Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly gave up more than 600 points on Friday morning, amid concerns about the deteriorating situation in the Middle East following Israel's attack on a nuclear-related facility in Iran.
   The Nikkei average finished the morning session at 37,665.93, down 507.16 points, or 1.32 pct, from Thursday's closing. The broader TOPIX index dropped 35.01 points, or 1.26 pct, to 2,747.96.
   "Investors adopted stronger risk-averse attitudes amid the deteriorating Middle East situation," said an official at a major securities firm, adding that the stock market was also weighed down by the yen's further strengthening against the dollar.
   In Tokyo trading, the safe-haven Japanese currency temporarily rose past 143 per dollar in the morning. At noon, the dollar stood at 143.06-09 yen, down from 143.86-88 yen at 5 p.m. Thursday. The euro was at 1.1544-1545 dollars, up from 1.1526-1526 dollars, and at 165.17-20 yen, down from 165.83-84 yen.
   Japanese government bonds also attracted buying, pushing the key 10-year JGB yield down as low as 1.385 pct, the lowest since May 12.

(2025/06/13-12:37)

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