TOKYO, May 18: Japan’s Nikkei average shed 3 percent on Friday to log a seventh straight week of losses, its longest such run since the third quarter of 2001, as investors cut exposure to risky assets on concerns over slowing growth and a deepening euro zone crisis.
The Nikkei was down 265.28 points at 8,611.31, suffering its biggest one-day percentage drop since August.
The broader Topix fell 2.9 percent to 725.54, taking the index into negative territory for the year after it rallied more than 17 percent in January-March to log its best first quarter performance in 24 years. (agencies)