Tokyo stocks lose ground in morning as Nasdaq's retreat sends tech issues lower

TOKYO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks lost ground Monday morning as the U.S. Nasdaq Composite Index's retreat late last week impacted domestic tech issues.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 69.54 points, or 0.31 percent, from Friday to 22,462.54.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 8.36 points, or 0.49 percent, to 1,684.49.

Oil and coal product, precision instrument and pharmaceutical-oriented issues comprised those that declined the most by the morning break.