Nikkei falls after China lowers growth target

- Nikkei fell Monday as market sentiment was dampened after China's announcement of lowering growth target during its annual two sessions. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 78.44 points, or 0.80 percent, from Friday at 9,698.59. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished down 4.96 points, or 0.59 percent, at 832.86. Decliners included the iron and steel, sea transport and mining sectors. Gainers included the pulp and paper, retail, and information and communications sectors. The turnover was about 1,134.1 billion yen (about 13.88 billion U.S. dollars).