Tokyo stocks fell sharply Friday, with the key Nikkei index shedding nearly 4 percent to a two-month low, partly due to Sony Corp.'s forecast of an annual operating loss and a surging yen against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 306.49 points, or 3.81 percent, from Thursday to 7,745.25, its lowest finish since Nov. 20.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 22.36 points, or 2.81 percent, to 773.55.

Stocks declined across the board, led by consumer finance, mining, and iron and steel issues.

Sony Corp. said Thursday that it expects to report a record 260-billion-yen group operating loss for the business year ending March 31 as plummeting global demand and the yen's surge against the dollar wreaked havoc on sales. It would be Sony's first operating loss in 14 years.

Sony fell 136 yen, or over 7 percent, to 1,802 yen.

Another export-oriented high-tech issue, Canon, dropped 140 yen, or over 5 percent, to 2,540 yen as rising yen erodes its profits overseas.

On the First Section, declining issues outnumbered advancing ones 1,344 to 284, with 80 others remaining unchanged.

Trading volume on the main section came to 1,706.72 million shares, down from Thursday's 1,933.06 million.

Mizuho Financial Group, the day's volume leader, lost 8 yen, or nearly 4 percent, to 212 yen.

The TSE's Second Section index was down 12.86 points, or 0.67 percent, to 1,894.47 on a volume of 29.65 million shares. On the Osaka Securities Exchange, the near-term March Nikkei 225 index futures contract was down 300 points to 7,730.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2009)