Nikkei down as shippers sink, bailout worries weigh

(Updates to midafternoon)

TOKYO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei stock average slipped 1.3 percent on Thursday as Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd and other shippers sank as a key freight index fell, while worry about the U.S. financial sector bailout plan weighed on the market.

While Congress was considering how and when to act about a proposed $700 billion bailout, U.S. markets were in turmoil. Investors stampeded into cash and safe-haven assets, and experts said banks were ...