Tokyo, Jun 2 (IANS): Tokyo stocks opened lower on Thursday as the yen rose against the US dollar following an announcement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a day earlier that he will once again delay a sales tax hike.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 182.66 points, or 1.08 percent, from Wednesday to 16,773.07, Xinhua news agency reported.
Investors were also cautious from the off, with some taking a wait-and-see attitude ahead of U.S. employment data for May scheduled to be released on Friday.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 12.66 points, or 0.93 percent, to 1,349.41.
The majority of industry categories in the main section lost ground, with notable decliners comprising rubber product, marine transportation, and iron and steel-linked issues.