Tokyo stocks opened lower Monday as unease

lingered over tightening monetary policy by the United States and investors
awaited earnings reports by retailers due this week.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 0.49 percent, or 133.40 points, at
26,852.40 in early trade, while the broader Topix index slipped 0.21 percent,
or 3.95 points, to 1,892.84.

“Focus this week is on the US and Chinese consumer price indexes for
March,” among other data, to glean clues on the Federal Reserve’s monetary
policy and that of other central banks, said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist
of Monex.

The Fed has recently taken a hawkish tone as it embarks on an aggressive
tightening path, prompting traders to fret over the prospect of higher
interest rates.

Investors in Tokyo are also paying attention to earnings reports by
retailers, including convenience store chain Lawson, Muji casualwear operator
Ryohin Keikaku, and Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing, Hiroki said.

The dollar fetched 124.89 yen in early Asian trade against 124.30 yen in
New York late Friday.

In Tokyo, Lawson was down 0.88 percent at 4,470 yen ahead of its full-year
to February earnings report due later in the day.

Takeda Pharmaceutical was up 0.43 percent at 3,711 yen after a report said
it will halt new drug trials in Russia.

Among others, SoftBank Group was down 1.44 percent at 5,601 yen and Hitachi
was off 0.91 percent at 5,853 yen, but Toyota was up 0.76 percent at 2,111
yen.