TOKYO: Tokyo stocks opened lower on Tuesday after Wall Street slipped, as investors looked for fresh news with inflation worries continuing to weigh.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.13 percent, or 35.84 points, to 28,462.36 yen. The broader Topix index fell 0.25 percent, or 5.06 points, to 1,991.52.
The dollar stood at 113.45 yen, rising from 113.31 yen in New York Monday as the Japanese currency continued to lose momentum.
Soaring energy prices were placing heavy pressure on the market, stoking worries about inflation.
"The rise in energy prices is fuelling concerns that the transitory lift in inflation seen in the wake of the pandemic may prove to be longer lasting," Tapas Strickland of National Australia Bank said in a note.
All three major Wall Street indexes closed with losses as West Texas Intermediate oil for delivery in November traded at $80.52 a barrel late Monday in New York, its first time above $80 since October 2014, while London's Brent oil jumped to a three-year high at $84.59.
In Tokyo, investors were seen returning to buying, but the weak Wall Street performance reversed the sentiment for now.
"Investors are turning wary after continued falls on Wall Street, which is pouring cold water on just as Tokyo was expected to rebound," Okasan Online Securities said after the Nikkei surged 1.60 percent on Monday.
"The yen's depreciation against the dollar and rising oil prices should serve as the main cues for the day," with energy shares likely to be buoyant for now, Okasan said.
Among major shares, energy developer INPEX firmed 1.97 percent to 984 yen. Energy plant maker JGC Holdings added 1.12 percent to 1,079 yen.
Another major energy firm ENEOS Holdings rose 1.42 percent to 463.8 yen after it announced its planned purchase of a renewable energy company.
The falling yen lifted exporters, including automakers.
Toyota added 0.83 percent to 2,003.5 yen, Nissan climbed 1.52 percent to 573 yen and Honda rose 0.84 percent to 3,462 yen.
Construction equipment maker Komatsu firmed 1.23 percent to 2,710.5 yen.
But Sony Group slipped 0.24 percent to 12,355 yen. Tech investor SoftBank Group dropped 2.81 percent to 6,236 yen.