Mumbai, July 28 -- Japanese markets fell sharply as investors looked ahead to the Bank of Japan's rate decision on Thursday for hints about the near-term rate outlook.

Traders also shifted their focus to domestic corporate earnings and pondered the implications of the U.S.-Japan trade deal.

The Nikkei average tumbled 1.10 percent to 40,998.27 while the broader Topix index settled 0.72 percent lower at 2,930.73.

Chip-related shares paced the decliners, with Advantest and Screen Holdings plummeting 9-10 percent. Robot maker Fanuc soared 5 percent after its quarterly operating profit jumped nearly 30 percent.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Capital Market....