TOKYO: Tokyo stocks opened 1.33 lower on Thursday with risk aversion boosting the yen against the dollar, hitting Japanese exporters.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which lost three percent over the past two days, fell 232.09 points to 17,180.49 at the start.
The yen, which had fallen to seven-year lows against the dollar in recent weeks, turned up sharply.
The dollar was at 117.46 yen early Thursday, down from 117.85 yen in New York Wednesday afternoon and 118.88 yen yen in Tokyo earlier Wednesday.
The euro edged up to 146.75 and $1.2486 from 146.68 yen and $1.2446 in US trade.
Many capital markets across the globe fared badly on Wednesday.
US stocks tumbled as a pullback in petroleum stocks sparked a sell-off in the broader market.
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.51 percent while the broad-based S&P 500 sank 1.64 percent.
Argentine stocks closed down 6.85 percent while European equity markets mostly retreated. (AFP)
