Tokyo equities markets were lower on Thursday as the Nikkei 225 dropped 0.36 percent to 17,984.14 and the Topix index was 0.3 percent lower to 1,763.06.
The semiconductors sector was lower, with Tokyo Electron (TYO: 8035) down 2 percent to ¥8,810 after it said that orders were down significantly in the most recent quarter.
In addition, chip-testing equipment maker Advantest dropped 1.9 percent to ¥5,300.
Other declines came among restaurant operators after the announcement that McDonald’s Holdings Japan (TYO: 2702) will open 15 cafes during the summer.
The new cafes are expected to provide competition to Doutor Coffee (TYO: 9952), which dropped 3 percent to ¥2,090.
Nippon Restaurant System (TYO: 2775), getting ready to merge with Doutor, fell 3.3 percent to ¥3,530, but McDonald’s Japan added 0.1 percent to ¥2,000.
Carmakers were mixed on the session. Nissan Motor (TYO: 7201) was 1.5 percent higher to ¥1,324, while Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) dropped 0.4 percent to ¥7,630.