Tokyo stocks were sharply lower Thursday morning, with the Nikkei index briefly falling over 2 percent, on concerns the U.S. economy may slow after the minutes of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting indicated that the central bank will more aggressively fight rising inflation. As of 10 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was down 521.60 points, or 1.91 percent, from Wednesday to 26,828.70, falling below the 27,000 mark for the first time in about three weeks. The broader Topix index was 39.02 points, or 2.03 percent, lower at 1,883.89.
