Tokyo stocks open lower as yen's rise on geopolitical concerns impacts exporters

Tokyo stocks opened lower Wednesday as geopolitical concerns saw investors pile into the yen as a safe haven, which pushed its value up against the U.S. dollar and impacted exporter issues and dragged down the broader market.

As of 9:15 a.m. here, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 176.74 points, or 0.94 percent, from Tuesday to 18,571.13.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 14.60 points, or 0.98 percent, to 1,480.50.

Early issues that notably retreated into negative territory comprised insurance, oil and coal product, and bank-linked stocks. Endit