Japan stocks plunged on Friday with the benchmark Nikkei average falling below the 15,000 line for the first time in 16 months.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average plunged 760.78 points, or 4.84 percent, from Wednesday to close at 14,952.61, Xinhua reported.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, tumbled 68.68 points, or 5.43 percent, to finish at 1,196.28.
All industry categories on the main section ended in negative territory, with marine transport, financial and securities-linked shares comprising notable losers at the close.
The day's turnover was 4,183.3 billion yen ($37.09 billion).
Tokyo markets were closed on Thursday for a national holiday.
