Nikkei down 1.75% to 68,500; KOSPI down 0.55% to 6,191

The Nikkei closed at 58,475.90; Topix fell 1.41% to 3,760.81. KOSPI ended at 6,191.92 with KOSDAQ up 0.61% to 1,170.04. Chinese CSI 300 fell 0.17% and the Hang Seng dropped 1.01%.