Tokyo - Shares in Japan closed lower Thursday, dragged down by losses on Wall Street and falls of banking titles after the country's largest bank announced a large-scale fundraising bid. The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average index dropped 127.33 points, or 1.32 per cent, to close at 9,549.47, a four-month closing low.
Shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group lost ground as the bank said earlier that it plans to issue new shares worth about 1 trillion yen (11.2 billion dollars).
The broader-based Topix index of all first-section issues, fell 12.35 points, or 1.45 per cent, to close at 837.71.
On currency markets at noon (0300 GMT), the dollar traded at 89.19-20 yen, up from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 89.15-17 yen.
The euro traded at 1.4923-25 dollars, up from 1.4890-92 dollars late Wednesday, and at 133.08-15 yen, up from 132.75-79 yen.
