AlHijjah 08, 1435, October 02, 2014, SPA -- Japanese shares plunged Thursday for the third straight trading day of fall as sentiment was hurt by the yen's rise and overnight losses on Wall Street and European markets, dpa reported. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 420.26 points, or 2.61 per cent, to end at 15,661.99 while the broader-based Topix index was down 38.06 points, or 2.89 per cent, at 1,280.15. Exporters traded broadly lower as the yen rose against the dollar and the euro. A stronger yen makes Japanese goods less competitive overseas and hurts repatriated earnings. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 108.65-66 yen, down from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 109.84-86 yen. The euro was quoted at 137.40-42 yen, down from 138.35-39 yen late Wednesday.