 "Nikkei falls for fourth day as poor machinery figure hurts mood")
Japan's Nikkei share average dropped for a fourth day to a fresh 1-1/2-week low on Thursday as worse-than-expected machinery data soured sentiment and US Federal Reserve minutes suggested the end of its stimulus was a sign of economic strength.
The Nikkei dropped 0.6% to 15,216.47, the lowest closing since June 30.
The broader Topix fell 0.9% to 1,259.25, and the new JPX-Nikkei Index 400 dropped 0.9% to 11,451.76.