Asian benchmarks decline after AI worries send Wall Street tumbling

TOKYO: Japan’s stock benchmark tumbled more than 6% after trading opened Friday, and other Asian stocks also declined following a widespread sell-off of issues related to artificial intelligence on Wall Street.

Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 recouped some of those initial losses, trading 5.7% lower at 57,576.63 by midday. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.0% to 8,973.00. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 7.4% to 4,985.99, as Samsung Electronics shares shed 7.9% in morning trading. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.7% to 24,630.03, while the Shanghai Composite dipped 1.3% to 3,642.10.