TOKYO: Japanese shares closed down 1.50 percent on Thursday led by the energy sector after falling oil and other commodity prices battered the US stock market overnight, brokers said.
The benchmark Nikkei index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 147.61 points to 9,716.65. It was the sharpest percentage loss since April 12.
The Topix index of all shares on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 0.97 percent or 8.28 points to 849.34.
The fall was led by the weakness of energy and euro-sensitive shares following the oil market's tumble and the yen's rise against the European currency, Mitsuhige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management told Dow Jones Newswires.
The Greek debt crisis also weighed on sentiment, although the euro managed to recover slightly in Asian trade along with crude oil in what appeared to be a consolidation from a volatile Wednesday, brokers added.
Toyota was up 3.05 percent after the world's largest automaker said it would move to normalise production levels in June, earlier than previously announced, after the impact of the March 11 disaster disrupted output.
Tokyo Electric Power, operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, plunged 8.76 percent following reports that the government has decided to supervise the company over more than 10 years.
Sony, grappling with one of the biggest security breaches in the history of online gaming, was off 1.86 percent.
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