Tokyo stocks open lower following U.S. shares' overnight slide

TOKYO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened lower Friday following a weak lead from Wall Street overnight.

As of 9:15 a.m. local time, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 331.26 points, or 1.46 percent, from Thursday to 22,326.90.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 21.59 points, or 1.27 percent, at 1,683.05.

Machinery, rubber product, and consumer credit-linked issues comprised those that declined the most in the opening minutes after the morning bell.