Japan's main stock index has closed at a 16-year low with sentiment dampened by sharp falls in US stocks on Friday.
The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei Stock average closed at 12,171.37 points, down 456.53 - or 3.75 per cent. On Friday the average closed down 22.66 points, or 0.18 per cent.
The Nikkei index dropped after US stocks declined sharply at Friday's close after Cisco Systems last week became the third big US high-tech company to announce a bleak revenue outlook.
The dollar also finished higher against the yen.
The dollar bought 120.44 yen at 3 p.m. (06.00 GMT) on the foreign exchange market - up 0.68 yen from late Friday in Tokyo and also above its late New York level of 119.70 yen on Friday.
In Tokyo selling of Japanese technology issues and communications stocks led a morning decline.
In New York the Dow Jones industrial average plummeted 213.63 to 10,644.62 at Friday's close.
The Nasdaq composite index skidded 115.95, or 5.3 per cent to 2,052.78 - its lowest close since December 17th 1998 when it stood at 2,043.88.
The broader Tokyo Stock Price Index of all issues listed on the first section ended at 1,205.98, down 31.78 points or 2.63 per cent.
The TOPIX closed up 1.56 points, or 0.13%, on Friday.
PA