Published July 30, 2026 Updated about 2 hours ago TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average fell to close at a fresh two-month low on Wednesday, as investors sold off chip-linked shares ahead of major US tech earnings, while renewed fighting in the Middle East dampened risk appetite. Asian chipmakers have been highly volatile recently, as doubts over returns from AI companies’ heavy spending emerge amid intensifying Chinese competition. The tech-heavy Nikkei closed 1.49 percent lower at 61,434.19, after sinking as much as 3.07 percent earlier, extending the previous session’s more-than 4 percent plunge. The gauge is down about 15 percent from a record…