Tokyo stocks open lower ahead of US-China trade talks

Tokyo - Tokyo stocks opened slightly lower on Tuesday amid a lack of fresh market-moving events as investors took to the sidelines ahead of US-China trade talks.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 0.39%, or 85.74 points, at 22 113.26 in early trade while the broader Topix index was down 0.37%, or 6.26 points, at 1 685.89.

The dollar changed hands at ¥109.92 in early Asian trade, against ¥110.10 in New York.

"The Japanese stock market is dominated by a wait-and-see atmosphere as investors want to find out how the US-China trade talks develop," said Yoshihiro Ito, chief strategist at Okasan Online Securities.

"Even as US shares rallied, a higher yen is weighing on the market," he added.

The US-China trade talks slated for Wednesday and Thursday are the first since the US and China began imposing tit-for-tat tariffs on tens of billions of dollars' worth of goods.

In Tokyo, some exporters were among losers, with industrial robot maker Rohm falling 1.41% to ¥9 040 in early trade and major electronic components maker Alps Electric declining 1.88% to ¥3 130.

Automakers were mixed with Toyota losing 0.60% to ¥6 719 and Nissan edging down 0.14% to ¥1 098 while Honda gained 0.12% to ¥3 316.

Wall Street shares edged up with the Dow Jones index climbing 0.4% at 25 758.69, due to optimism over signs that China and the United States will bury the trade hatchet.