Japanese stocks fell in choppy trade on Thursday with volatility in oil prices and fears of a global slowdown continuing to hurt sentiment, while cautious investors looked forward to the conclusion of the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting on Friday.
The Nikkei share average declined 0.7 per cent to 17,041.45.
Alpine Electronics Inc shares plunged 11.6 per cent after the automobile audio products maker cut its profit outlook for the financial year ending March 31, 2016.
The Topix subindex for foods added 1.3 per cent as risk-averse investors bought into defensive stocks, while the air transportation sector rose 1 per cent after oil prices fell.
Commodities sectors ended the day lower, with the sub-index for iron and steel shedding 3.6 per cent and oil and coal products giving up 1.6 per cent.
The broader Topix fell 0.6 per cent to 1,392.10 and the JPX-NK Index 400 declined 0.7 per cent to 12,547.22.