JAPAN TIMES


Tokyo stocks opened sharply lower on Thursday following Wall Street’s steep declines overnight, as concerns about China’s economy continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei stock average fell 591.51 points, or 3.34 percent, from Wednesday to 17,124.12. The broader

Topix index of all first section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 45.57 points, or 3.16 percent, to 1,396.52.

Every industry category on the main section lost ground, led by iron and steel, electric machinery and wholesale trade issues.