Japan's Nikkei 225 Closes +0.28% Amid Risk-Off on U.S.-Iran Talks Cancellation on June 19

According to Swiss Foreign Ministry, U.S.-Iran talks scheduled for June 19 near Lucerne were canceled, triggering widespread risk-off sentiment across Asian markets. Japan's Nikkei 225 index swung sharply intraday, hitting an intraday high of 71,952 points before closing up 0.28% at 71,250.06 points, up 7.92% for the week. South Korea's KOSPI similarly experienced extreme volatility, reaching intraday record highs before closing down 0.13% at 9,052.42 points, up 11.43% for the week.

The talks were postponed after Iran's negotiating delegation delayed travel to Switzerland due to ongoing Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, according to state media reports on June 18.