TOKYO, Japan?Japanese shares fell below the 9,000-points level for the first time since May 2009 after opening Tuesday, with the headline Nikkei index hitting a low of 8,983.52.

It recovered to 9,027.34 points.

The Topix index of all first-section shares fell to a low of 814.38 before recovering to 816.53.

Exporters are suffering from fears for a strong yen, with Sony dropping 2.72 percent and Canon down 1.40 percent.