Tokyo stocks open lower after decline on Wall St.

Tokyo stocks opened lower Wednesday, tracking overnight falls on Wall Street triggered by fears of further U.S. interest rate hikes and weaker-than-expected consumer confidence data.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 235.58 points, or 0.73 percent, from Tuesday to 32,079.47. The broader Topix index was down 15.04 points, or 0.63 percent, at 2,356.90.

On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by electric power and gas, transportation equipment and rubber product issues.

At 9 a.m., the U.S. dollar fetched 149.05-06 yen compared with 149.01-11 yen ...