Japan's Nikkei slumps as yen rallies, machine orders fall; Greenland woes weigh

By Rocky Swift

TOKYO, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average slid for a third day on Monday as geopolitical tensions over Greenland sparked a safe-haven rally in the yen, while economic data surprised on the downside.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index .N225 fell 0.6% to close at 53,583.57. The broader Topix .TOPX slid 0.1% to 3,656.40.

The yen rallied to its strongest level since January 9 on a weaker dollar following U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff threats against Europe. Data on Japanese machinery orders in November showed an 11% month-on-month decline, more than double what economists had forecast in a Reuters poll.

"Semiconductor-related stocks, which had been driving the recent rise in Japanese equities, and auto shares that had benefited from the weak yen are seeing significant declines today," said Wataru Akiyama, an equities strategist at Nomura Securities.

"The sharp drop in machinery orders appears to be a factor in the stock market."

Monday kicks off a pivotal week in Japanese markets, with fiscally dovish Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolving parliament to set up a snap election, while the central bank meets to set policy.

Japanese government bonds and the yen have fallen sharply on expectations that Takaichi may have greater leeway to introduce more stimulus pending the election expected early next month.

On Monday, the five-year JGB yield JP5YTN=JBTC soared to 1.69%. The 20-year yield JP20YTN=JBTC touched 3.265%, while the 30-year yield JP30YTN=JBTC surged to 3.61%, both all-time highs.

The dollar weakened, and global markets were shaken after Trump vowed to slap fresh tariffs on eight European nations until the U.S. is allowed to buy Greenland.

There were 89 advancers on the Nikkei index against 133 decliners. The largest losers were Sumitomo Pharma 4506.T, down 13%, followed by Toyota Tsusho 8015.T, down 4.1%.

The largest gainers in the index were retailer Aeon 8267.T, up 6.7%, followed by food additive maker Ajinomoto 2802.T, which added 6.1%.