Tokyo, Mar 16 (IANS): Tokyo stocks opened down on Wednesday as investors were in a circumspect mood as the yen rose ahead of the results of the US Federal Reserve's two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting.
As of 9.15 a.m. (local time), the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 142.38 points, or 0.83 percent, from Tuesday to 16,974.69, Xinhua news agency reported.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 7.88 points, or 0.57 percent, to 1,364.20.
Early notable decliners comprised iron and steel, marine transportation, and machinery-linked stocks.