Tokyo stocks tumbled Thursday, with the benchmark Nikkei stock index falling below the 63,000 mark for the first time since July, as investors locked in profits amid lingering concerns over the sustainability of artificial intelligence-related investments.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 1,713.40 points, or 2.65 percent, from Wednesday at 62,907.84.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 46.23 points, or 1.14 percent, lower at 3,997.50.
With few fresh trading cues, investors turned cautious ahead of the earnings season gathering momentum next week. Concerns persisted over whether massive investments in AI infrastructure could be sustained beyond 2027, market analysts said.
The Nikkei opened higher but soon turned lower as investors sold stocks to lock in profits following Wednesday's rally, which was driven by strong earnings from SpaceX.
Tokyo stocks tumble on profit-taking, AI concerns
The Hengqin Port in south China's Guangdong Province, the only land port between the mainland and Macao, has handled more than 30 million passenger entries and exits so far this year -- a new high for the corresponding period of time since the new Hengqin Port was opened in 2020, according to the Hengqin Port Border Inspection Station.
Hengqin, located in Guangdong's Zhuhai City, is separated from Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) by a narrow stretch of water.
As of 21:00 on Wednesday, total passenger traffic through the port had exceeded 30 million border crossings, up 27.1 percent year on year. The milestone was reached 68 days earlier than last year, setting a new record for passenger flows at the port during the same period.
The passenger traffic at the Hengqin Port has reached several new highs since the beginning of this year. During the National Day holiday, which ran from Oct. 1 to 7 and which was one of the country's busiest travel and tourism seasons, single-day passenger traffic peaked above 150,000 border crossings for the first time.
By the end of August 2026, more than 30,000 Macao residents were living or working in Hengqin, while the number of Macao-funded enterprises operating there reached 8,224, up 77.36 percent since the establishment of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin in 2021, statistics showed.
The simultaneous growth in the number of residents and businesses has driven a rapid increase in cross-border travel by Hong Kong and Macao residents. Data show that Hong Kong and Macao residents have made more than 9.27 million inbound and outbound trips through the Hengqin Port so far this year, up 32.4 percent year on year, including more than 7.97 million trips by Macao residents, up 34.9 percent year on year.
"The one-year multiple-entry individual visit endorsement is quite convenient. Now we can go to Macao whenever we want. The queues for passing through immigration inspection move quickly and the environment of the port is really good," said a resident in Hengqin.
From January 1, 2025, permanent residents and residence permit holders in the Hengqin In-Depth Cooperation Zone are eligible to apply for a one-year multiple-entry Individual Visit Endorsement for Macao, which enables them to make multiple trips to Macao in a year, with each trip lasting less than seven days.
With the implementation of facilitation policies for travel to Macao, travel by mainland residents has also remained strong. According to statistics, mainland residents have made more than 19.54 million inbound and outbound trips through the Hengqin Port so far this year, up 23.9 percent year on year.
Land port between mainland, Macao records surge in passenger trips
