Tokyo stocks dropped Wednesday for the fifth straight day, with investors wary over the prospects of the U.S. economy after stronger-than-expected job openings data fueled fears of further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.
On the currency market, the U.S. dollar was off from a one-year high above the 150 yen line overnight, after it plunged to as low as 147.30 yen in a suspected yen-buying intervention by Japanese authorities.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 711.06 points, or 2.28 percent, from Tuesday at 30,526.88. The broader Topix index finished 56.58 points, or 2.49 percent, lower at 2,218.89.
On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by transportation equipment, iron and steel and bank issues.
