Tokyo stocks open lower amid U.S. rate hike concerns

Tokyo stocks opened lower Thursday, tracking overnight declines on Wall Street amid concern over continued interest rate hikes in the United States.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 237.30 points, or 0.75 percent, from Wednesday to 31,529.52. The broader Topix index was down 15.12 points, or 0.67 percent, at 2,245.72.

Decliners included precision instrument, service and wholesale trade issues.

At 9 a.m., the U.S. dollar fetched 146.31-36 yen compared with 146.30-40 yen in New York and 145.36-38 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The euro was quoted at ...