Tokyo's benchmark stock index fell on Tuesday on investor concerns of a slowdown in the US economy.
This followed an overnight selloff in New York triggered by remarks from US President Donald Trump in which he refrained from predicting whether the US would face a recession.
The Nikkei 225 finished the day at 36,793, down 0.6 percent.
It briefly lost more than 1,000 points to tumble below 36,000 for the first time in about half a year. But the index rebounded later in the session.
Analysts say some investors bought back shares of companies that had been sold after the Japanese yen depreciated against the dollar.
The Japanese yen strengthened against the dollar on Thursday, touching the mid-146 level at one stage.
It was the first time in about five months the yen has seen that level of strength against the US currency.
Analyst says investors are buying the yen, which is regarded as a relatively safe asset.