Tokyo stocks plunge in morning on strong yen vs. dollar

Tokyo stocks plunged Friday morning, led by declines in exporters as the yen firmed further against the U.S. dollar to hit a new three-and-a-half month high around the 135 line. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 546.24 points, or 1.94 percent, from Thursday to 27,679.84. The broader Topix index was down 40.50 points, or 2.04 percent, at 1,945.96. On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by pharmaceutical, real estate and wholesale issues.