Tokyo stocks fell sharply Tuesday, with the key Nikkei index briefly dropping below a 26-year closing low as investors were rattled after the Dow Jones index closed Monday at its lowest level in almost 12 years and fresh financial worries surfaced.
The 225-issue Nikkei lost 107.60 points, or 1.46 percent, to end at 7,268.56. In the morning session, it dropped to 7,155.16 — falling below a 26-year closing low of 7,162.90 logged last Oct. 27 — but later trimmed its losses on the dollar's strength relative to the yen.
The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was down 5.00 points, or 0.68 percent, to 730.28, closing at its lowest level since Dec. 27, 1983.