TOKYO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened lower Friday as a firm yen against the U.S. dollar impacted exporter-linked issues and dragged down the broader market.
As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 132.34 points, or 0.68 percent, from Thursday to 19,239.12.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 8.30 points, or 0.53 percent, at 1,547.95.
Notable early decliners comprised glass and ceramics product, iron and steel, and machinery-linked stocks.
