Japan stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined 1.35%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Nexon Co Ltd (TYO:3659), which rose 6.74% or 205.00 points to trade at 3,246.00 at the close. Meanwhile, SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) added 4.40% or 655.00 points to end at 15,525.00 and Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (TYO:3863) was up 3.22% or 36.00 points to 1,154.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7011), which fell 5.69% or 234.00 points to trade at 3,876.00 at the close. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7012) declined 5.31% or 575.00 points to end at 10,255.00 and Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:5801) was down 5.10% or 441.00 points to 8,211.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2111 to 1497 and 243 ended unchanged.

Shares in Nexon Co Ltd (TYO:3659) rose to 52-week highs; up 6.74% or 205.00 to 3,246.00. Shares in SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) rose to all time highs; up 4.40% or 655.00 to 15,525.00. Shares in Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (TYO:3863) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 3.22% or 36.00 to 1,154.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 0.65% to 24.50.

Crude oil for September delivery was up 0.65% or 0.41 to $63.06 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in October rose 0.61% or 0.40 to hit $66.03 a barrel, while the December Gold Futures contract rose 0.18% or 6.07 to trade at $3,414.37 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was down 0.69% to 146.40, while EUR/JPY fell 0.85% to 171.14.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.04% at 97.62.