Trump Orders Naval Blockade of Strait of Hormuz; Japanese Stocks Close Lower

U.S. President Trump issued an order for the Navy to commence a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Subsequently, U.S. Central Command declared that a blockade would be enforced on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, effective from 10:00 AM Eastern Time on April 13 (10:00 PM Taiwan Time on the same day). In response to this geopolitical development, the Nikkei 225 index concluded trading down by 421.34 points, a 0.74% decrease, settling at 56502.77 points. The TOPIX index also experienced a slight decline, falling by 16.84 points, or 0.45%, to close at 3723.01 points.