Japanese equities fell on Wednesday, sapped by a fragile outlook for the US economy. The benchmark Nikkei 225 average snapped a three-session advance, losing 0.5 per cent to end at 15,153.78. The broader Topix index was also down, by a more modest 0.2 per cent at 1,475.

Japan’s recent sell-off, which has seen the Nikkei shed some 2,000 points in a few weeks, has been accompanied by a rising yen. Wednesday, the yen weakened marginally to Y109 to the dollar, though that compared with over Y120 before the global retreat from risk this summer.