Tokyo stocks suffer sharpest fall in over 16 years after "Brexit" vote

Tokyo stocks plunged Friday, with the benchmark index suffering its sharpest fall in more than 16 years, as Britain voted to exit from the European Union in a historic referendum, Kyodo reported.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 1,286.33 points, or 7.92 percent, from Thursday at 14,952.02, its lowest level for the year and marking the biggest drop since April 2000. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 94.23 points, or 7.26 percent, lower at 1,204.48.

Every industry category on the main section lost ground, led by insurance, securities and mining issues.