Tokyo stocks open lower on Wall Street's retreat

TOKYO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened lower on Thursday tracking losses on Wall Street overnight as investors opted to secure profits after the Congress in the United States passed a 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars tax reform bill.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 71.59 points, or 0.31 percent, from Wednesday to 22,820.13.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 2.99 points, or 0.16 percent, to 1,818.17.

Real estate, textile and apparel, and chemical issues comprised those that declined the most in early trade.