The U.S. dollar briefly dropped to the upper 133 yen level Thursday morning in Tokyo after falling by around 1 yen overnight as lower-than-expected U.S. inflation data fueled prospects of a halt in the U.S. interest rate hike cycle soon.
Tokyo stocks were lower, pressured by weak automaker issues on a stronger yen, which decreases their overseas earnings when repatriated.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 60.14 points, or 0.21 percent, from Wednesday to 29,062.04. The broader Topix index was down 6.31 points, or 0.30 percent, at 2,079.60.
Decliners included transportation equipment, marine transportation, and nonferrous metal shares.
