Japan’s Nikkei, other Asia-Pacific markets tumble after Wall Street losses

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index tumbled 12.4 percent Monday, coming close to its biggest single-day fall in October 1987.

The Nikkei index fell 4,451.28 points to 31,458.42.

“We will watch the market trends with a sense of urgency and take all possible measures to manage the economy and finances,” Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, said in his regular news conference.

The Nikkei 225 has slid by more than 20 percent since last month, after reaching all-time highs of over 42,000 points in July.

Markets fell across the region: South Korea’s Kospi index by 8.77 percent; Taiwan’s Taiex by 8.35 percent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 by 3.7 percent.

The dips come after a two-day Wall Street rout attributed to weaker than expected U.S. economic data.

The Nikkei suffered a nearly 15 percent fall on Oct. 20, 1987, in the wake of the Black Monday Wall Street crash that year.

Julia Mio Inuma in Tokyo contributed to this report.