Japan: 'Technical glitch' shuts Tokyo Stock Exchange

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Witnessing the worst breakdown in its trading history, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) was shut on Thursday for the entire day, the operator said.

The operator, Japan Exchange Group, said all trading at the world's third-largest stock exchange had halted "due to a system glitch," Kyodo News Agency reported.

It is yet unknown when the trading will resume.

This is the first shutdown reported since the exchange shifted to a fully computerized system in May 1999.

The operator said the problem was likely "caused by an equipment failure rather than a cyberattack."

The shutdown also affected work at the Sapporo, Nagoya and Fukuoka stock exchanges, which use the Tokyo Stock Exchange system.

Japanese information and communication technology company Fujitsu Ltd., the TSE's technology partner, said it was "dealing with the problem in cooperation with the Tokyo stock exchange."

It, however, did not provide a reason for the breakdown.

Around 3,700 companies are listed at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

"If the market had opened, stocks were expected to rebound, though they may have been top-heavy. It's disappointing," said Makoto Sengoku, a market analyst at the Tokai Tokyo Research Institute.