Nikkei opens 1.59% lower

Tokyo stocks opened sharply lower Thursday, with the key Nikkei index down 1.59 percent.

Tokyo stocks opened sharply lower Thursday, with the key Nikkei index down 1.59 percent.

A man walks past an electrical board showing the stock information in Tokyo, Aug. 11, 2011. (Xinhua/Kenichiro Seki)

At 9:15 a.m., the benchmark Nikkei 225 Average lost 144.00 points from Wednesday to 8,894.74.

The broader Topix index was down 10.50 points, or 1.35 percent, to 766.23.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet