Japan stocks plunge on yen's rise, central bank policy

Japanese shares fell Wednesday for thefourth straighttrading day, with export-linked issues pulled down by a stronger yen,and after the central bank ruled out additional monetary easing, dpa reported.The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 307.19 points, or 2.1 percent, to end at 14,299.69 while the broader-based Topix index wasdown 24.12 points, or 2.05 per cent, at 1,150.44.On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at102.03-04 yen, down from Tuesday's 5 pm quote of 102.79-80 yen.The euro was quoted at 140.69-71 yen, down from 141.46-50 yen lateTuesday, and at 1.3790-3793 dollars, up from 1.3762-3764 dollars.A stronger yen makes Japanese-made goods more expensive in overseasmarkets and erodes repatriated earnings.