Japanese stocks retreated Wednesday, hit by worries that growth in China may cool and another dizzying nosedive by Japan Airlines.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average lost 144.11 points, or 1.3 percent, to 10,735.03. The broader Topix index fell 1.1 percent to 944.02.
Companies doing business in commodities and machinery fell particularly hard after China’s central bank announced credit-tightening measures Tuesday to slow the country’s red-hot economy. The People’s Bank of China ordered lenders to set aside more reserves and raised interest rates on one-year bills.
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Construction equipment maker Komatsu Ltd. finished down 2.9 percent at 2,036 yen. Nippon Steel Corp. dropped 3.3 percent to 382 yen, while rival JFE Holdings Inc. tumbled 5 percent to 3,580 yen.
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