Japan’s Nikkei share index plunged to a three-month low on Friday as investors brushed aside generally strong earnings results, concentrating instead on the sharp slide overnight in US and European markets.

The Nikkei 225 plummeted 2.4 per cent to 17,283.81 while the broader Topix sank 2.2 per cent to 1,699.71. The overnight slide in global markets included a 3.2 per cent plunge in London’s FTSE index, the most severe fall in four years.