Tokyo stocks open lower on sluggish U.S. shares

Tokyo stocks opened lower Friday as sentiment was dented by sharp declines of U.S. shares overnight. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 283.95 points, or 1.07 percent, from Thursday to 26,138.10. The broader Topix index was down 15.70 points, or 0.84 percent, at 1,853.10. On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by transportation equipment, electric appliance, and machinery issues. At 9 a.m., the dollar fetched 144.42-43 yen compared with 144.41-51 yen in New York and 144.67-68 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Thursday. The euro was quoted at $0.9827-9831...