TOKYO, April 19 -- Tokyo stocks opened lower Wednesday following a weak lead overnight from Wall Street with investor sentiment dampened by the yen's appreciation against the U.S. dollar following the sudden announcement of a snap election in Britain.
As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 21.54 points, or 0.12 percent, from Tuesday to 18,397.05.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 2.43 points, or 0.17 percent, at 1,469.10.
Marine transportation, oil and coal product, and nonferrous metal-linked issues were among early notable decliners.
