Tokyo stocks open sharply lower on global worries

Tokyo stocks opened sharply down Friday, following Wall Street lower on worries over the diplomatic fallout from the disappearance of a Saudi journalist and a host of other global concerns.

The Nikkei 225 index was off 1.32 percent or 298.41 points at 22,359.75 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was down 1.11 percent or 18.93 points at 1,685.71.

The yen firmed against the dollar and the euro as traders sought safe assets, after global stocks fell on a raft of concerns, led by worries over US-Saudi Arabia ties due to journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance.

On top of that, the euro is under pressure "because of uncertainties in Europe" such as Brexit talks and Italy's controversial budget plans, said Kyoko Amemiya, senior market strategist at SBI Securities.

Investors are keenly awaiting the announcement of China's third-quarter GDP growth data later Friday, and "depending on the figures, share prices may dip further," she said.

The dollar traded at 112.20 yen while the euro was at 128.52 yen in early Asian trade, against 112.18 yen and 128.63 yen in New York, respectively. The dollar-yen rate was 112.50 yen in Tokyo late Thursday.

China-linked shares were among the losers in Tokyo, with construction machine maker Komatsu dropping 4.0 percent to 3,046 yen and industrial robot maker Fanuc trading down 1.64 percent at 18,860 yen.

Market heavyweight Fast Retailing, Uniqlo casual wear operator, was down 1.41 percent at 55,040 yen.