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Europe Rate Hike Fears Source Tokyo stocks ended sharply down Friday, with the Nikkei closing at a one-month low, following sell-offs in international markets overnight on fears over the adverse global economic impact of monetary tightening by U.S. and European central banks. The yen briefly plummeted against the U.S. dollar immediately after the Bank of Japan said it had decided to keep its ultra-easy monetary policy intact at its policy meeting, drawing a sharp contrast with global counterparts amid surging inflation. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 468.20 points, or 1.77 percent, from Thursday at 25,963.00, its lowest closing level since May 12. The broader Topix index finished 31.91 points, or 1.71 percent, lower at 1,835.90. On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by precision instrument, iron and steel, and transportation equipment issues. The foreign exchange market was volatile, with the dollar trading near the 134 yen line in the afternoon after ...