Tokyo stocks open lower on Wall St. losses, COVID surge in China

Tokyo stocks opened lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, as a sharp rise in coronavirus infections in China dampened investors’ hopes that its shift away from the strict “zero-COVID” policy will buoy the global economy.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 288.06 points, or 1.09 percent, from Wednesday to 26,052.44. The broader Topix index was down 21.34 points, or 1.12 percent, at 1,887.68.

On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by mining, rubber product and food issues.

At 9 a.m., the dollar fetched 134.01-04 yen compared ...