Tokyo - Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell below 8,000 to end Wednesday trading as the market sentiment was dampened by concerns over the US and European financial sectors.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 164.15 points, or 2.04 per cent, to close at 7,901.64.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues was down 17.88 points, or 2.22 per cent, to 787.15.

On currency markets at midday (0300 GMT), the dollar traded at 90.00-05 yen, down from Tuesday's 5 pm quote of 90.41-43 yen.

Tokyo  - Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell below 8,000 to end Wednesday morning trading as the market sentiment was dampened by concerns over the US and European financial sectors.

The Nikkei index lost 155.94 points, or 1.93 per cent, to 7,909.85.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues was down 15.23 points, or 1.89 per cent, to 789.8.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 89.77-82 yen, down from Tuesday's 5 pm quote of 90.41-43 yen.

Tokyo  - Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Aver

Tokyo - Toyota Motor Corp said Tuesday that its global sales in 2008 fell 4 per cent from the year before as consumption waned amid the global economic slowdown.

Despite the sales drop to 8.97 million cars, Japan's leading automaker said it still expected to become the world's top automaker by sales, overtaking General Motors Corp for the first time. In terms of global production, Toyota became the world's top auto producer in 2007.

Tokyo  - Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell below 8,000 to end morning trading Tuesday as concerns over the European economy spread.

The Nikkei index dropped 257.83 points, or 3.12 per cent, to 7,999.02.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues was down 19.67 points, or 2.41 per cent, to 798.06.

On the currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 90.63-66 yen, up from Monday's 5 pm quote of 90.62-63 yen.

Tokyo - Japanese government on Monday revised the nation's industrial output for November downward to an 8.5-per-cent fall from an earlier reading.

Industrial output dropped 8.5 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms in November, compared to the previous month.

The revised figure was the sharpest decline since 1953, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Monday.

The index of output in mines and factories stood at 93.6 against 100 for the base year of 2005, the ministry said in a revised report.