Nikkei opens sharply lower in early trading tracking Wall Street losses

Tokyo stocks opened sharply lower in early trading Friday, falling below the 20,000 line for the first time since July 13, as investor sentiment was dented by overnight losses on Wall Street.

At 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average plunged 372.30 points, or 1.86 percent, from Thursday to 19,661.22. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 37.88 points, or 2.33 percent, to 1,586.00.

Every industry group on the main section lost ground, with decliners led by banks, insurance and rubber products. Endi