Tokyo stocks fall on fears over U.S. monetary tightening

Tokyo stocks fell Friday morning, weighed down by concerns over prolonged monetary tightening in the United States and prospects of weakening demand in the semiconductor industry after poor earnings results from a major U.S. chipmaker. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 297.18 points, or 1.12 percent, from Thursday to 26,210.69. The broader Topix index was down 12.87 points, or 0.67 percent, at 1,895.30. On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by machinery, electric appliance, and transportation equipment issues.