Securities brokers in Japan had a rough day on Monday as the Nikkei stock average recorded its worst-ever single-day fall. They were flooded with calls from panicked investors who were eager to sell.

Honma Hiroki, an official at IwaiCosmo Securities, said: "We got a lot of calls, so some people couldn't get through right away and had to wait. We tried to handle all of the inquiries as calmly as possible, but it wasn't easy because the market was falling so fast."

On the streets of Japan, people reacted to the rout with a sense of alarm.

A man in 20s said he would steer clear of stocks for the near future.

Another man in his 60s said, "During the global financial crisis, there were major fears for the entire global economy. I'm not sure that's the case here. Maybe there's something else going on that I don't understand."