Tokyo stocks opened lower Wednesday as investor sentiment on Wall Street was dampened by tensions on the Korean Peninsular, while the yen's rise against the U.S. dollar saw export issues here retreat.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 67.22 points, or 0.35 percent, from Tuesday to 19,318.59.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange meanwhile, dropped 6.61 points, or 0.42 percent, to 1,584.10.

Securities, insurance and electric appliance-related stocks comprised those that declined the most in the opening minutes of trade.