TOKYO, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower Thursday as a powerful earthquake rocking Hokkaido early this morning sparked concerns of economic damage in the region, on the heels of a strong typhoon ravaging the archipelago recently.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 92.89 points, or 0.41 percent, from Wednesday to close the day at 22,487.94.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 12.55 points, or 0.74 percent, to finish at 1,692.41.
The 6.7-magnitude quake, which has ravaged Hokkaido leaving at least 9 people dead, 300 injured and more than 30 missing, sparked investor concerns over the economic impact, local brokers said.
They added that the quake in Hokkaido came on the heels of a powerful typhoon that swept through Japan just days earlier, leaving a severe amount of damage particularly in western regions, with Kansai International Airport likely to be paralyzed for up to a week
"Market sentiment was dampened further by the quake following the typhoon, while investors awaited the outcome of resumed U.S.-Canada trade negotiations," Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management Co., was quoted as saying.
"The closure of the airports (in Osaka and Hokkaido) negatively affected tourism and transportation industries as these airports are very popular among inbound tourists," Ichikawa added.
By the close of play, insurance, consumer credit and miscellaneous product-linked issues comprised those that declined the most, and falling issues beat rising ones by 1,538 to 504 on the First Section, with 64 ending the day unchanged.
On the main section on Thursday, 1,280.36 million shares changed hands, rising from Wednesday's volume of 1,234.44 million shares.
The turnover on the penultimate trading day of the week came to 2,232.8 billion yen (20.05 billion U.S. dollars).
