Tokyo stocks open sharply lower on global economic concerns

Tokyo stocks opened sharply lower Monday after steep falls on Wall Street late last week amid concerns over a slowdown in the global economy hurt by interest rate hikes by U.S. and European central banks. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 512.08 points, or 1.89 percent, from Thursday to 26,641.75. The broader Topix index was down 34.54 points, or 1.80 percent, at 1,881.58. Japanese financial markets were closed Friday for a national holiday. On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by mining, transportation equipment, and textile and apparel in...