Prices in Tokyo and several other Asian markets were pulled lower Wednesday by a decline in U.S. stocks as most bourses in the regions closed down. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues slipped 97.53 points, or 0.84 percent, to 11,500.18. The index fell 53.31 points, or 0.46 percent on Tuesday. Traders were discouraged by U.S. markets' drop on Tuesday. Technology stocks Canon Inc., Pioneer Corp. and Sony Corp. finished down, as did automakers Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. Other decliners were Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc., Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. and telecommunication companies KDDI Corp. and NTT DoCoMo Inc. U.S. shares plunged on higher oil prices in New York Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 174.02, or 1.61 percent, ending at 10,611.20, its lowest close since Feb. 3. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 28.30, or 1.37 percent, to 2,030.32, its worst finish since Jan. 25. In currency dealings, the U.S. dollar rose against the Japanese yen but fell against the euro. The dollar bought 104.72 yen late Wednesday in Tokyo, up 0.18 yen from late Tuesday in Tokyo and above the 104.02 yen it fetched in New York late Tuesday. The euro rose to US$1.3217 late Wednesday afternoon in Tokyo from US$1.3181 late Tuesday. In Hong Kong, the share market fell as traders sold property companies on worries that rising land prices will hurt their profits. --more 1405 Local Time 1105 GMT
