Tokyo's Nikkei index closes down 4.73% after Wall Street rout

[TOKYO] Tokyo's benchmark index closed down 4.73 per cent Tuesday as investors took their lead from a sell-off on Wall Street, while a surging yen hit exporters.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed down 4.73 per cent or 1,071.84 points at 21,610.24, after diving more than seven per cent earlier.

It is the worst single-day fall in percentage points since the November 2016 election of US President Donald Trump.

The broader Topix index slumped 4.40 per cent, or 80.33 points, to 1,743.41.

AFP