TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed sharply lower Friday with the key Nikkei index down 1.64 percent.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Average contracted 158.72 points from Thursday to 9,537.30. The broader Topix index shed 11.77 points, or 1.37 percent, to 849.50.
The decline was led by the real estate sector. It was followed by the iron and steel, and land transport sectors.
Trading volume on the main section expanded to 2,116 million shares from 1,894 million on Thursday.
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