SYDNEY (MarketWatch) -- Japanese shares were lower in afternoon trading on Tuesday, with the Nikkei Stock Average JP:NI225 -1.21% down 1.5% at 9,413.99. The selloff in Tokyo followed a poor session for stocks in the U.S. and Europe on Monday, when a revision by Standard & Poor's to their long-term U.S. outlook and ongoing worries about European sovereign debt woes dented sentiment. Sharp percentage decliners included nuclear power station operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc. TKECY -7.97% JP:9501 -4.28% , down 7.1%. The technology and auto sectors were notably weak, with car maker Toyota Motor Corp. JP:7203 -3.10% TM -0.50% , trading down 2.6% while TDK Corp. JP:6762 -7.55% TTDKF 0.00% shares fell 6.7%.
