Asia markets dip as investors look to Trump-Takaichi meeting in Japan

Asia markets fell across the board on Tuesday as investors in the region look toward a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and newly minted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Trump met Japan’s Emperor Naruhito after arriving in Tokyo on Monday and will be the first foreign leader to hold talks with Takaichi since she took office.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 retreated from its record high on Tuesday, falling 0.57% at the open, while the broad-based Topix was down 0.61%.

Other Asia-Pacific markets also fell, despite gains on Wall Street that sent all three major U.S. indexes  record closing highs.

South Korea’s Kospi led losses in the region, dipping 1.4%, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.6%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 started the day down 0.32%.

Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 26,534, higher than the HSI’s last close of 26,433.7.

Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 climbed 1.23% to 6,875.16, its first close ever above the 6,800 level.

The Nasdaq Composite rallied 1.86% to 23,637.46, bolstered by a rise in Nvidia and other chip stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 337.47 points, or 0.71% to 47,544.59. 

Key market catalysts loom ahead this week, including Big Tech earnings, a Federal Reserve rate decision and a potential China trade deal.

— CNBC’s John Melloy, Sean Conlon and Liz Napolitano contributed to this report.