Japan’s Nikkei 225 led Asia-Pacific stocks sharply lower on Thursday as anxieties about the US economy and the global outlook were heightened amid worsening data.

The Nikkei 225 closed 6.9 per cent lower at 7,703.04, its lowest close since October 28, when it touched a 26-year intraday low of 6,994.90, and its biggest one-day percentage loss since October 22. The Nikkei has lost 9 per cent this week and 10 per cent this month. The broader Topix index lost 45.15, or 5.5 per cent, to close at 782.28.