Tokyo shares plunged Thursday as the yen appreciated against the US dollar, after the minutes of the US Federal Reserve's July policy meeting showed the central bank is in no hurry to raise interest rates in the near future.

    The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 259.63 points, or 1.55%, from Wednesday at 16,486.01. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 20.34 points, or 1.55 percent, lower at 1,290.79. 

    Decliners were led by electric power and gas, pharmaceuticals, and information and communication issues. The day's turnover was about 2,148.5 billion yen about (around 21.49 billion U.S. dollars).