Tokyo stocks open lower on Wall St. losses

Tokyo stocks opened lower Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street and pressured by speculation of further U.S. monetary tightening.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 177.22 points, or 0.55 percent, from Thursday to 31,982.06. The broader Topix index was down 8.46 points, or 0.37 percent, at 2,259.89.

On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners included textile and apparel, rubber product, and electric power and gas issues.

At 9 a.m., the U.S. dollar fetched 142.58-59 yen compared with 142.47-57 yen in New York and 142.89-91 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. ...