Nikkei closes 1.22% lower to new 1 month low

Tokyo stocks closed 1.22 percent lower Monday afternoon with the index sagging for the fourth straight session to a new one-month low over the partial U.S. government shutdown and political stalemate over raising the country's debt ceiling. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed down 170.99 points, from Friday at 13,853.32, the lowest closing level since Sept. 2. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 16.24 points, or 1.40 percent, at 1,147. 58. Almost all 33 sectors declined, led by utilities, consumer finance and securities issues. Communications and air transport companies were the only gainers. The turnover was 1811.9 billion yen (about 18.67 billion U.S. dollars), the lowest level since Sept. 12