Tokyo

TOKYO stock prices slumped by over 4 per cent on Tuesday amid a general rout that saw Asian shares skid to three-and-a-half-year lows as uncertainty about China's economy and the course of US monetary policy took an increasing toll on markets in the region.

China is Japan's second largest export market after the US and Japan's biggest two-way trading partner including imports. China has also become the biggest single factor behind a boom in inward tourism and shopping in Japan.