TOKYO, Feb. 28 (AP) - (Kyodo)— Tokyo stocks plunged Wednesday morning tracking falls in world stock markets the previous day, sending the key Nikkei index down more than 700 points at one point, its biggest single-day loss since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 644.85 points, or 3.56 percent, in the morning to 17,475.07. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 70.36 points, or 3.88 percent, to 1,740.97.
After diving 737.13 points to its morning low of 17,382.79 immediately after the opening, the Nikkei index rose somewhat and moved narrowly around the 17,500 mark.
The tumble followed falls of world stocks the previous day triggered by a nosedive in Shanghai shares that marked the biggest single-day loss in 10 years, brokers said.
In New York on Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 416.02 points, or 3.29 percent, from the previous day to 12,216.24, its seventh-sharpest point loss. At one time, the key index was down 546.20 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index lost 96.66 points, or 3.86 percent, to 2,407.86.
The declines in Chinese shares depressed stock markets around the world, including those in European and emerging economies.
The Nikkei lost 682.85 points on Sept. 11, 2001, following the terrorist attacks on the United States that day.
