The Tokyo Stock Exchange ended its final day of 2018 trading slightly lower Friday and the bourse is likely to face another difficult 12 months due to the U.S.-China trade spat that is likely to continue to threaten global growth.
Other concerns include the planned consumption tax hike at home and a stronger yen, with both endangering corporate profits.
The 225-issue Nikkei average ended down 62.85 points, or 0.31 percent, from Thursday at 20,014.77. The broader Topix index of all first section issues on the Tokyo exchange finished down 7.54 points, or 0.50 percent, at 1,494.09.