Tokyo stocks opened lower Wednesday as investor sentiment was dented by a poor showing on Wall Street overnight and compounded by the yen's appreciation against the U.S. dollar.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 96.18 points, or 0.48 percent, from Tuesday to 19,899.83.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 5.53 points, or 0.34 percent, to 1,629.79.

Warehousing, precision instruments and metal products-linked issues comprised those that declined the most in early trade.