Tokyo stocks fell sharply Thursday morning as technology issues were sold, tracking losses in their counterparts on Wall Street overnight, with investors' sentiment dented after a powerful earthquake struck central Japan on New Year's Day.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 415.59 points, or 1.24 percent, from Friday to 33,048.58. The broader Topix index was down 2.16 points, or 0.09 percent, at 2,364.23.
Japanese financial markets were closed from Monday to Wednesday due to the New Year holidays.
On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by electric appliance, precision instrument and service issues.
