TOKYO: Tokyo stocks have closed 0.59 per cent lower on profit-taking and a stronger yen, while auto parts maker Takata plunged nearly 17 per cent on fears of a criminal probe linked to a deadly airbag defect.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange eased 99.85 points to finish at 16,780.53, while the Topix index of all first-section shares was off 0.26 per cent, or 3.56 points, at 1,360.11.
Traders took a breather after sending the market surging more than 10 per cent over the past two weeks, helped by a weaker yen after the Bank of Japan boosted its monetary easing programme.
