Tokyo stocks fell sharply in early trading on Thursday after U.S. gross domestic product data for the January-March quarter came in far short of expectations, dampening investor sentiment.
In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei stock average fell 329.22 points, or 1.64 percent, from Tuesday to 19,729.73, ahead of a Bank of Japan policy decision and after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates on hold as data showed the world's biggest economy barely grew last quarter. Tokyo markets were closed on Wednesday for a holiday.
The broader Topix index of all first section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 23.08 points, or 1.42 percent, to 1,604.35.