Tokyo stocks close sharply lower after sell-off on Wall Street

TOKYO, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed sharply lower Thursday after a sell-off on Wall Street overnight on inflation concerns, while the yen's firmness against the U.S. dollar weighed on the market and dragged exporter issues down.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 343.77 points, or 1.56 percent, from Wednesday to end the day at 21,724.47.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 28.04 points, or 1.59 percent, to finish at 1,740.20.

Mining, machinery and metal product-oriented issues comprised those that declined the most by the close of play. Enditem