AlHijjah 6, 1432, Nov 2, 2011, SPA -- Japanese shares dropped 2.2 per cent Wednesday after overnight losses on Wall Street and European markets, as export-oriented issues fell sharply amid growing doubts over the European Union's efforts to contain its two-year debt crisis, according to dpa. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 195.1 points, or 2.21 per cent, to close at 8,640.42 while the broader-based Topix index was down 15.92 points, or 2.11 per cent, at 738.58. Exporters such as Sony Corp, Honda Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp dropped. Sony declined 3.55 per cent, Honda plunged 4.24 per cent and Toyota fell 3.51 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.48 per cent overnight after the Greek prime minister called a referendum on Europe's plans to rescue it from debt. The United States is a major market for export-reliant Japan. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT) in Tokyo, the dollar traded at 78.11-13 yen, little changed from Tuesday's 5 pm quote of 78.09-10 yen. The euro traded at 1.3721-3722 dollars, down from 1.3771-3773 dollars Tuesday, and at 107.19-20 yen, down from 107.55-58 yen.
