Asian Markets Fall Sharply as Japan’s Nikkei Drops 6%

By midday, Japan's Nikkei 225 index was down 6.0 percent, one of the biggest declines in the region. The broader Topix was down almost as much, at 5.9 percent.

South Korea's Kospi was also down sharply, at 5.2 percent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng was also down, though less sharply, at 1.1 percent.

In China, Shenzhen was down 2.2 percent and Shanghai was down 1.1 percent.