Tokyo: Nikkei falls to 4-month low after North Korea fires missile

[TOKYO] Japan's Nikkei share average fell to a near four-month low on Tuesday morning as sentiment was soured after North Korea fired a missile over northern Japan earlier in the day.

In early trade, the Nikkei opened down 0.7 per cent and fell as low as 19,304.76, its lowest since May 1.

The broader Topix dropped 0.5 per cent to 1,592.77.

North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific waters off the northern region of Hokkaido, South Korea and Japan said, in a sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

REUTERS