Tokyo shares open sharply lower on U.S. market's losses

Tokyo shares plunged by opening the trading Friday with its benchmark Nikkei stocks index hit a nearly two-month low after a big drop in the overnight U.S. stocks market.

At 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average plunged 216.05 points, or 1.40 percent, from Thursday to 15,262.88, briefly falling to the lowest intraday level since Aug. 13 at 15,259.95.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 22.15 points, or 1.76 percent, to 1, 238.63.