TOKYO: Tokyo stocks closed down 0.24 percent Wednesday as US-led strikes on jihadists in Syria and a slowdown in eurozone business activity pushed the yen higher, hitting exporters.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange slipped 38.45 points to 16,167.45, while the Topix index of all first-section shares fell 0.35 percent, or 4.70 points, to finish at 1,326.18.
Wall Street turned down tracked European markets lower after a key survey showed business activity in the 18-nation eurozone slowed further in September, adding to concerns that its economic recovery is about to stall.
The Dow fell 0.68 percent, the S&P 500 lost 0.58 percent and the Nasdaq slipped 0.42 percent. Earlier in the day London, Frankfurt and Paris all sank more than one percent.
Traders have also been spooked by geopolitical worries after the United States and its Arab allies unleashed air strikes against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.
Dozens of IS and al-Qaeda militants were reported killed in the raids, which Washington said had partly targeted extremists plotting an "imminent attack" against the West.
The latest negative news fanned uncertainty, putting upward pressure on the yen, which is considered a safe bet during times of turmoil.
The dollar slipped to 108.67 yen, from 108.87 yen in New York on Tuesday and is well down after breaking the 109 yen barrier last week for the first time since 2008.
In Tokyo share trading, market heavyweight SoftBank fell 3.53 percent to 7,917 yen, after shedding 6.09 percent on Monday.
The firm had climbed about 30 percent ahead of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's record $25.02 billion initial public offering on Wall Street Friday. SoftBank owns about one-third of the online retailer.
Sony sank 1.19 percent to 1,874.0 yen while Toyota fell 1.06 percent to 6,423.0 yen.
Some Apple suppliers got a lift after news of strong sales for the newest version of the iPhone, with Murata Manufacturing closing up 1.44 percent at 11,955.0 yen and Japan Display gaining 1,89 percent to end at 590 yen. (AFP)
