Tokyo stocks open lower on Wall Street's poor showing, firm yen

Tokyo stocks opened lower Thursday as a poor showing on Wall Street overnight coupled with the yen's appreciation against the U.S. dollar made for a dour market mood.

As of 9:15 a.m. local time, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 122.76 points, or 0.65 percent, from Wednesday to 18,738.51.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 10.27 points, or 0.68 percent, to 1,494.39.

Early issues that notably retreated into negative territory comprised insurance, electric appliance, and pulp and paper-linked issues. Enditem