Japan's Nikkei share average closed at a three-month low and posted its biggest daily drop in three years on Thursday, as investor sentiment was dampened by a stronger yen against major currencies.
The Nikkei index fell 3.28 percent to its lowest closing level since April 25 at 37,869.51 points.
The index continues its losses for the seventh consecutive session, the longest series of declines since October, and recorded its largest daily decline since June 2021.
The broader Topix index fell 2.98 percent to 2,709.86.
The yen rose to its strongest level against the dollar in two and a half months, surpassing multi-month highs against other currencies ahead of a Bank of Japan meeting next week.
A stronger yen would hurt the shares of export companies because a stronger yen reduces the value of foreign currency earnings when companies remit them to Japan.
SoftBank Group Corp, a technology investor, lost 9.39 percent, pushing the Nikkei to its lowest level, while chipmakers fell, with Tokyo Electron falling 4.82 percent and Advantest falling 6.04 percent.
Renesas Electronics shares fell 13.62 percent after the chipmaker reported a 29 percent drop in net profit in the six months through June.
Nissan Motor Co. shares fell 6.98 percent after the automaker nearly missed its first-quarter profit and cut its annual outlook.
Food stocks rose, with Sapporo Brewery Holdings rising 3.23 percent to become the top performer on the Nikkei, while frozen food maker Nichirei Corp. added 3.13 percent.
All but three of the Tokyo Stock Exchange's 33 sub-indexes fell, with the airline sector up 0.57 percent to become the best performer.
