Tokyo - Tokyo stocks opened lower on Tuesday, dragged down by a higher yen and worries over China.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index, which fell for three straight days to Friday before a long weekend, lost another 0.98% or 232.01 points to 23 551.71 in early trade while the broader Topix index was down 0.85% or 15.26 points at 1 777.39.
"Export stocks will come under selling pressure as the yen's appreciation prompts caution," SBI Securities said in a commentary.
A strong yen is negative for Japanese exporters as it erodes their profit earned overseas when repatriated.
The dollar was trading at ¥113.03, down from ¥113.16 in New York on Monday afternoon and near ¥114 before Tokyo markets closed on Friday for the three-day weekend.
Chinese stocks tumbled on Monday as investors returned to a rash of negative news that had accumulated over a week-long holiday, from disappointing economic data to worsening tensions with the United States.
Italy's budget also remains a concern in Europe and US technology shares endured another sharp decline for a third day in a row, noted Rodrigo Catril, senior foreign exchange strategist at National Australia Bank.
The Japanese yen "has been the main beneficiary from the risk-off tone", he said in a client note.
In individual stocks trade, Toyota fell 2.54% to ¥6 824 and IT investor SoftBank Group lost 2.25% to ¥10 825.
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