TOKYO, June 18 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 1.8 percent on Thursday, with exporters such as Honda Motor slipping as the yen hovered near two-week highs against the dollar, whiles banks tracked their U.S. peers lower. Mitsubishi Estate bucked the trend, rising 0.5 percent after it told Reuters on Wednesday it is interested in buying a real estate investment trust (REIT) in Japan and is preparing to launch a property investment fund in the United States. The benchmark Nikkei fell 177.37 points to 9,663.48. The Nikkei had hit an eight-month closing high of 10,135.82 last Friday....
photo: AP / Katsumi Kasahara
