Japanese stocks fell sharply Tuesday just two days after a decisive election win for the ruling party, as market sentiment was undermined by plunging oil prices and overnight losses on Wall Street and European bourses, dpa reported. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 344.08 points, or 2.01 per cent, to end at 16,755.32, falling below 17,000 for the first time in a month. The broader Topix index was down 25.92 points, or 1.88 per cent, at 1353.37. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 117.17-19 yen, down from Monday's 5 pm quote of 118.22-24 yen. The euro was quoted at 146.03-05 yen, down from 147.24-28 yen late Monday.
