Nikkei briefly drops 2% as gains locked in after 3-day rally

Tokyo stocks plunged Friday morning, with the Nikkei briefly falling more than 2 percent, as investors locked in gains following a three-day rally of the benchmark index. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 519.73 points, or 1.89 percent, from Thursday to 27,033.33. The broader Topix index was down 25.40 points, or 1.32 percent, at 1,902.60. On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by nonferrous metal, mining and service issues.