Tokyo stocks open slightly lower on selling after rally

Tokyo stocks opened slightly lower early Tuesday morning on selling after a nearly 4-percent rally the previous day.

At 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 31.88 points, or 0.21 percent, from Monday to 15,079.35.

Meanwhile, the broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 2.27 points, or 0.19 percent, at 1,226.61.

Major decliners included pulp and paper, communications and mining issues, while bank and utility stocks moved higher.