Tokyo stocks open lower on Wall St. losses amid rate hike woes

Tokyo stocks opened lower Friday, weighed down by overnight losses on Wall Street as concerns lingered over prolonged U.S. interest rate hikes.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 189.35 points, or 0.60 percent, from Thursday to 31,436.65. The broader Topix index was down 13.65 points, or 0.61 percent, at 2,239.41.

Decliners included retail, electric power and gas, and land transportation issues.

At 9 a.m., the U.S. dollar fetched 145.67-70 yen compared with 145.78-88 yen in New York and 146.22-23 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The euro was quoted at $...