Tokyo shares fall on weak U.S. stocks, stronger yen

Tokyo shares dropped on Thursday on weak U.S. stocks and the stronger yen against the U.S. dollar.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 256.58 points, or 1.32 percent, from Wednesday at 19,145.14, the lowest level since Dec. 9.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 18.41 points, or 1.20 percent, lower at 1,518.39.

Decliners were led by iron and steel, marine transportation and bank issues.

The day's turnover was around 2,079.6 billion yen (17.82 billion U.S. dollars). Endit