Japan stocks fall on renewed economic jitters

Japanese stocks fell Wednesday, as weak data from the U.S. overnight rattled investor hopes for a global economic recovery.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average retreated 99.72 points, or 1.1 percent, to 8,742.96. The broader Topix index fell 1 percent to 835.25.

Wall Street shifted into reverse Tuesday after the U.S. government reported a 1.1 slump in retail sales in March, an unexpectedly poor result that sent the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 140 points.

Investors are now awaiting corporate earnings results in the U.S. and Japan for signs of what may lie ahead, said Noritsugu Hirakawa, a strategist at Okasan Securities in Tokyo.

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