March 11 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average closed down 1.7 percent at 10,254.43 points after an earthquake measuring 7.9 struck off the northeast coast of Japan, strongly shaking buildings in Tokyo. The benchmark was lower throughout the day on worries over the Middle East. The broader Topix index ended down 1.7 percent at 915.51.
(Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Edmund Klamann)