The Nikkei 225 index in Japan fell by 2% on Thursday amid a global chip sell-off and a firmer yen versus the dollar. The decline was part of a broader trend in Asian markets, with Japan and South Korea leading the declines. The Topix index also fell by as much as 1.5%, and Tokyo Electron Ltd. dropped almost 11%. Over the past week, the Nikkei index has decreased by 5.4%.