Asian stock markets fall sharply amid fears of U.S.-China trade war

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Key stock markets in Asia fell sharply Friday due to fears of a possible trade war between the United States and China, EFE reports.

In Japan, the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei index fell 974.13 points to 20,617.86, a decline of 4.51 percent.

At times the Nikkei was down by more than 5 percent, weighed by Wall Street's fall on Thursday.

The Topix, the second most important indicator, which tracks all domestic companies of the Tokyo Stock Exchange's First Section, declined 62.45 points or 3.62 percent to 1,664.94.

In China, the Shanghai stock exchange closed down 110.72 points or 3.39 percent to end the session at 3,152.76.

The Shenzhen stock exchange also ended the day with a substantial decline of 437.27 points or 4.02 percent to stand at 10,429.99.

South Korea's KOSPI index also closed sharply down, shedding 79.26 points or 3.18 percent to stand at 2,419.76.