Tokyo: Nikkei hits 9-week low as Brexit fears dog risk assets

[TOKYO] Japanese stocks hit a nine-week low on Tuesday, continuing to feel the heat from concerns that a referendum next week could push Britain out of the European Union and trigger turmoil in global markets.

Marking its fourth day of losses, the Nikkei share average closed down one per cent at 15,859.00 points after falling to 15,762.09, its lowest intraday level since April 12.

Turnover on the broader market was 1.807 trillion yen, below the 2 trillion mark, which is considered a threshold for active trade.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange's "Mothers market" for start-ups fell 10.33 per cent, retracing last week's gains that took it to a 3-1/2-week high.

The broader Topix dropped 0.98 per cent and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 fell 0.95 per cent.

REUTERS