Japanese stocks fall

JAPANESE stocks fell, with the Topix index having the biggest drop in more than two weeks on speculation the Bank of Japan will increase interest rates, from near zero, sooner than expected.

The Topix dropped 21.72, or 1.3%, to 1645.06 at 3pm close in Tokyo, the biggest decline since March 1.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average slid 222.83, or 1.4%, to 16,096.21, falling by the most since March 3.

Nikkei futures expiring in June lost 0.9% to 16,080 in Osaka and 1.1% to 16,085 in Singapore.